Challenges of Polycentric Urban Systems in the New Planning Cycle: The Case of Portugal

Abstract

In the middle of the new European investment cycle (2014-2020), major challenges still need to be overcome in terms of understanding and successfully implementing non-consensual polycentric models of territorial organization, particularly at sub-national scales. Therefore, first we identify what these challenges are through an extensive literature review. Then, considering the Portuguese experience, we analyse the process of creating polycentric systems within regional planning documents, and evaluate how this process has responded to such challenges. We conclude by discussing the multifaceted nature of polycentrism, and the importance of the local-scale in reinforcing institutional inter-relationships, thus assisting the upcoming generation of national/regional plans.