Eurocity: From Political Construction to Local Demand… Or Vice-Versa?

Abstract

This study presents a diagnostic analysis of the concept of the Eurocity. It aims to compare the initial intentions of the concept with its actual results from the perspective of a sustainable local development approach, particularly assessing the attention given to local governance and its potential for boosting this development paradigm. To this end, a range of internal documents and press reports of the Guadiana Eurocity were analyzed, and 15 in-depth interviews and one focus group were conducted with the main stakeholders involved in implementing local development policy in order to uncover the cognitive structure of their collective discourse and the potentials and expectations of the Eurocity. The results showed that the Guadiana Eurocity seemed to be the cross-border and European integration entity with the most legitimacy among these municipalities for carrying out sustainable local development strategies. Its structure and closeness to residents’ daily lives, however, were not sufficient guarantees of its success.

Oltre il «qui» e l’«altrove». Narrative Turn e sguardo cosmopolita come orizzonte di studio delle territorialità migranti

“…Su evolución espacial como corredor funcional que une los centros urbanos principales recibió su impulso definitivo en 1991 con el puente internacional sobre el río Guadiana, única conexión terrestre de su estuario, que favorece su prolongación por Andalu-cía y el Algarve para conectar las ciudades de Huelva y Faro, e integrarse finalmente en el eje de transporte Sevilla-Lisboa. Aunque la frontera se muestra desenfocada en el inmenso territorio de la EUROAAA (más grande y poblada que el Portugal continental), sin duda la Eurociudad del Guadiana es la entidad transfronteriza con mayor legitimidad entre los municipios de la frontera para llevar a cabo estrategias de desarrollo local participativo (González Gómez, Domínguez-Gómez y Pinto, 2019). En el momento actual, la Eurociudad está preparando el documento de la Agenda Urbana en el marco del proyecto EuroGuadiana 2020 (INTERREG VA España-Portugal), financiado con una ayuda del FEDER de 805.496,25 € (1.073.995 € en total).…”