The city of Split grew outwards from the Palace walls. Retail and commercial such as hotels, restaurants, pharmacies, barbershops, markets, and other local convenience shops uses can be found outside the East Gate, as well as along the Promenade that was once the sea wall of the Palace’s west side, as hown in the drawing above.

The Palace and the area immediately surrounding it is bustling with activity, including sidewalk vendors, restaurants, bakeries, barbershops, pharmacies and other day-to-day commercial activities that support the local community and also the thriving tourist industry. One of the challenges of an “active” UNESCO World Heritage Site is the need to restore and preserve the historic architecture while at the same time allow for site as a “living” environment, where people have been living for thousands of years and will continue to live and work.