Territorial strategic planning as a support instrument for regional and local development: a comparative analysis between Lisbon and Barcelona metropolitan areas

The present work has the purpose of making a comparative analysis of local development processes at a metropolitan scale, territories whose administrative and institutional limits do not always match with their political and economic identity and are inserted in global processes of socioeconomic transformation. The main purpose of this work is to analyze and understand the competitive advantages that the local and metropolitan political powers have over the Central State in what may concern the creation of favorable measures for companies’ productivity and competitiveness; analyze new forms of democratic political participation, namely around the so-called Territorial Governance. In terms of Territorial Strategic Planning, the focus has been, frequently, in the realization of great cultural and sport events and in urban rehabilitation. In this sense, the perspective will be more centered in the analysis of processes that lead to Local Development Initiatives in the fields of Education, Professional Formation or support for Entrepreneurship, rather then more “traditionalist” analysis. Given the nature of the present work, a Master Degree Project Work, the practical component will be postponed for future Doctoral studies. Nevertheless, we have the intention of testing some hypothesis, more in Lisbon Metropolitan Area, then Barcelona Metropolitan Area, namely throughout statistical data analysis and interviews to local actors.