Theses authorised for defence

DOCTORAL DEGREE IN STATISTICS AND OPERATIONS RESEARCH

• MAUREIRA ALEGRÍA, GRACE KELLY: A Multi-Objective Integer Programming Approach for Synergistic Tenant Mix Optimization in Shopping Centers
  
  Author: MAUREIRA ALEGRÍA, GRACE KELLY
  Thesis file: (contact the Doctoral School to confirm you have a valid doctoral degree and to get the link to the thesis)
  Programme: DOCTORAL DEGREE IN STATISTICS AND OPERATIONS RESEARCH
  Department: Department of Statistics and Operations Research (EIO)
  Mode: Normal
  Deposit date: 16/12/2024
  Reading date: 24/03/2025
  Reading time: 12:00
  Reading place: FIB Sala de Juntes B6, planta 1. Campus Barcelona Diagonal Nord
  Thesis director: HEREDIA CERVERA, FRANCISCO JAVIER
  Thesis abstract: A shopping center's profitability is significantly influenced by its Tenant Mix, which refers to the strategic combination and placement of different retail categories within the center. However, selecting the optimal Tenant Mix has traditionally been based on experience and intuition rather than data-driven approaches. This study addresses this gap by developing a systematic, data-driven optimization model aimed at maximizing profitability through optimal tenant placement.The methodology used in this research involves the development of a Multi-Objective Integer Programming model. This optimization model aims to maximize the combination of three components in its objective function: rental income, sales revenues, and tenant synergy. Constraints are related to the leasable area available for each retail category and the synergistic configuration influencing tenant placement. The data analyzed comes from 27 shopping centers managed by CBRE Spain, covering the period from 2015 to 2022, with the exclusion of 2020 due to the temporary closure of shopping centers during the COVID-19 pandemic.In order to incorporate rental income into the optimization model's objective function, a semi-log regression model was developed. The model considers the monthly rent per square meter as the dependent variable and factors such as store size, store location, tenant category, tenant’s sales per square meter, anchor status, distance to the nearest anchor, and shopping center type as independent variables. The empirical analysis identified that store size, location, anchor status, and retail category significantly affect rental rates. Notably, stores on lower floors tend to command higher rental rates compared to those on upper floors, while the distance to the nearest anchor tenant does not significantly affect rental values.One of the key contributions of this research is the incorporation of tenant synergy into the optimization model, which captures the beneficial interactions between neighboring tenant categories. By analyzing historical data from the 27 shopping centers, specific configurations of neighboring retail categories were identified as having the potential to enhance sales revenues. These configurations were scored based on their impact on sales, and the model aims to maximize these synergy scores, along with rental income and sales revenues, to achieve the most profitable Tenant Mix.The optimization model was applied to six shopping centers: one from each cluster, with one analyzed in greater depth. Three scenarios were evaluated: "Last Layout," "Only Vacancies," and "From Scratch." In all scenarios, the model used 50 combinations of weighted objectives, producing a three-dimensional Pareto frontier. In the "Last Layout" scenario, the model was applied only to the occupied units in the latest tenant configuration (as of December 2022). For smaller centers, rent and sales were lower, but synergy improved, while larger centers saw overall gains in rent, sales, and synergy.In the "Only Vacancies" scenario, the model optimized unoccupied units, keeping the current Tenant Mix unchanged. Results confirmed that the synergistic configurations derived from historical layouts provided optimal solutions, demonstrating the model's flexibility. The "From Scratch" scenario involved a complete reconfiguration, with rent and sales remaining stable across the 50 combinations but greater variability in synergy. This scenario offers strategic insights for landlords aiming to reimagine Tenant Mix for improved financial performance and synergy.The encouraging results highlight the model’s practical utility and strategic potential for retail space management, making it a reliable tool for optimizing the Tenant Mix in shopping centers. Landlords can leverage the insights from this model to make informed decisions about tenant selection and placement that align with their long-term objectives.
  

DOCTORAL DEGREE IN URBANISM

• FIOL DURAN, VICTÒRIA INMACULADA: A Mallorca, S'Arenal. Dibuixos d'un paisatge encobert. Traçats per a un nou model territorial.
  
  Author: FIOL DURAN, VICTÒRIA INMACULADA
  Thesis file: (contact the Doctoral School to confirm you have a valid doctoral degree and to get the link to the thesis)
  Programme: DOCTORAL DEGREE IN URBANISM
  Department: Department of Urbanism, Territory and Landscape (DUTP)
  Mode: Normal
  Deposit date: 17/12/2024
  Reading date: 10/03/2025
  Reading time: 12:00
  Reading place: Presencial (ETSAB. Sala de Graus)
  Thesis director: EIZAGUIRRE GARAITAGOITIA, FRANCISCO JAVIER | CORTELLARO, STEFANO
  Committee:
       PRESIDENT: PARCERISA BUNDO, JOSEP
       SECRETARI: GALINDO GONZALEZ, JULIAN
       VOCAL: HORRACH ESTARELLAS, GABRIEL PERE
       VOCAL: ANASTASIA, CATERINA
       VOCAL: SIMÓN ROJO, MARIAN
  Thesis abstract: Platja de Palma, Mallorca, is a strategic place for its combination of natural attractions and its geographical location, as well as being a clear setting for the construction and transformation of the pre-existing landscape. This is not only due to its having been one of the laboratories in which to experiment with tourist landscapes, but also as it has had a leading role in some of the main actions to improve seasoned tourist destinations over recent years.All these actions aim to rebuild a territory that was once idyllic for summer holidaymakers and which conserves hidden qualities, with risks and threats for the future, but hidden qualities that are able to be restructured.This doctoral thesis aims to analyse, describe, identify, develop and classify the territory of Platja de Palma based on its free open spaces ¤C squares, parks, woodland, residential areas, sand and beaches ¤C in their original state and it considers the evolution of the elements which remain, which are transformed, which disappear, which are grouped together or which become dispersed, for example. In other words, it aims to understand the structure of the countryside and strike a balance between that which has been constructed and that which has not. It will take the concept of ¡°constructed¡– in the most literal sense of the word, but at no point will it consider non-urban or urbanised space as exempt from form, construction or use. In fact, the whole territory is a space constructed to different extents and this research shows that less density and solidity in constructed areas implies greater value.This updated project aims to explore new ways to continue sharing tourism, which is here to stay, as well as the landscape supporting it.This research project also intends to use the methodology of zoning, classification and the nomenclature of public spaces and their systems, as trialled and applied in conventional urban planning. It is therefore clear that the coastal territory is unique and that it is necessary to offer specific features for the new systems of unoccupied spaces and their dynamics within the territory of S’Arenal, which are always linked to supporting its landscape.The features retained aim to better understand the particular features of open spaces in the coastal territory of Platja de Palma. These features are key to creating structures which readjust the existing territorial model together with a study of their relationships and interactions of the support analysed. Today there are new challenges to be faced with the intrinsic objective of using mapping.Maps and plans are descriptions referring to territories¡fl and cities¡fl pasts and presents. They are also interpretations that speak of the conception of the space and the relationships that residents establish with it. They go beyond being a mere representation of what is known, making way for unknown elements, values and relationships to appear. They anticipate and induce changes to the landscape and project the future. They will therefore condition the future regeneration developments and modifications to Platja de Palma.In short, the relevance of the biogeophysical support determining development is recognised. The network will address flow management and improve the permeability of the current limits, as well as transitions between urban and rural uses. It will also sketch out a well-balanced blend of forests, agriculture and cities integrated into a sequence of landscapes all the way to the sea. It is only by restoring the metabolic cycles of the land and water, and increasing biodiversity and reinforcing its environmental function, that Platja de Palma can be transformed into S¡flArenal: a privileged area combining urban, rural and agricultural values to restore a typical landscape.