The urban pilgrimage route in the co-production of walkable cities: Essence, challenges, and outline. The case of the Camino de Santiago

The Camino de Santiago is Europe's most dynamic and innovative pilgrimage- and cultural route. We consider this urban pilgrimage route in the context of its performative significance in creating social changes towards sustainable, responsible and resilient urban development. The study utilises field research conducted on selected urban segments of the Camino de Santiago in Poland (three cities along the Vistula Valley) and in Estonia (Tallinn), Latvia (Riga), and Lithuania (Kaunas). The research findings highlight urban pilgrimage routes' considerable cultural, touristic and functional potential. These routes blend religious and spiritual dimensions with discovering the cities' historical, cultural, and natural richness, fostering pedestrian mobility and promoting sustainable development. The conclusions suggest that effective management and integration of urban pilgrimage routes can enrich the pilgrim experience, allowing the engagement with urban space by combining spiritual reflection with historical, cultural, and geographical exploration and contributing to lasting transformations within these spaces and local behaviour.