Geografías del comercio tradicional: Memoria, transformación y paisajes relacionales en Castellón de la Plana

This dataset is the result of original fieldwork conducted between 2016 and 2026 in Castellón de la Plana (Spain) as part of the research project Geografías del comercio tradicional: Memoria, transformación y paisajes relacionales en Castellón de la Plana, directed by Raffaella Rose at the Institut Interuniversitari de Geografia, Universitat Jaume I.The project was selected for funding through the 2025 Ayuda a la Investigación en Ciencias Sociales y Humanidades, Fundación Dávalos-Fletcher, Castellón de la Plana, Spain. The dataset comprises two complementary components: 1. Comercios históricos (31 records, reference date: February 2026) Multigenerational commercial establishments with a minimum of 40 years of continuous activity, located in the historic centre and pericentral areas of Castellón de la Plana. The sample is not an exhaustive census but a reasoned, non-statistical selection designed to maximize typological diversity and geographical representativeness, deliberately including establishments from peripheral and less visible neighbourhoods alongside those of the historic centre. Each record includes: name, address, commercial typology (CNAE code), years of activity, founders, current management, activity status, establishment status, narrative description based on semi-structured interviews and hemerographic sources, and multimedia elements including photographs, video interviews and web links. 2. Venta a la porta (38 records, reference date: February 2026) A historically rooted system of direct agricultural sales at the producer's doorstep, connecting the periurban huerta with the urban fabric of Castellón de la Plana. In the absence of any official register of this activity — which requires no licence or administrative inscription — the dataset represents the first systematic and georeferenced database on venta a la porta in Castellón, compiled through active fieldwork tracing during the citrus harvest season (October to April). Each record includes: name, address, partida rural (traditional rural land division of the Castellón municipal territory), activity status, fieldwork observation dates, photographic documentation, and qualitative descriptions based on direct observation and, where available, semi-structured interviews conducted between 2016 and 2026. The dataset is complemented by an interactive web application built on OpenStreetMap, which georeferences all records and integrates multimedia content — photographs, video interviews, and web links — in a dynamic, layered cartography. The map visualizes the spatial distribution of traditional commerce and venta a la porta points across the urban fabric of Castellón de la Plana, allowing exploration by typology, activity status, and temporal layers. The web app is designed as a participatory and expandable platform, open to future crowdsourcing contributions. The methodology combines primary fieldwork (semi-structured interviews, audiovisual documentation, direct observation), hemerographic sources, and complementary verification via digital mapping tools. The dataset is designed as a replicable methodological prototype transferable to other Mediterranean cities. The project explores the role of traditional commerce as a generator of social capital, relational economic spaces, and urban identity — with particular attention to the venta a la porta as a unique form of rural-urban connection and a candidate for intangible heritage recognition under the framework of the Comunitat Valenciana.The interactive web application is accessible at: https://geocomerciocs.github.io/MapaComercioTradicional/