Socio-geographical and political dynamics in the Metropolitan Area of Lisbon in times of crisis and austerity

Abstract

This article, acknowledging the relevance of urban and territorial dimensions for the understanding of the current crisis and its main drives, as well as its effects and socio-political reactions, analyses the recent evolution of the Metropolitan Area of Lisbon in times of economic crisis and austerity policies. The conclusions, grounded on the case of Lisbon but deserving further theoretical building and comparative exploration, highlight: 1) the existence of different phases of the crisis and a correlation among these phases, the austerity policies that have been implemented, and the expansion of the crisis effects to the socioeconomic fabrics at the territorial scale; 2) a growing confrontation between top-down policies and bottom-up socio-political dynamics, that is, an increasingly complex and peculiar geopolitical framework made of multi-scalar divergences, convergences and intersections.

economic crisis; austerity; crisis geography; Europe; Portugal