The Portuguese urban system: An opposition between its hierarchical organization in cyberspace vs. physical space

Abstract

The advent of computer and information technologies during the past decades, and their widespread use, is radically transforming the dynamics of communication and our understanding of spatial relationships. This empirical analysis intends to question how this kind of technological changes affect past trends in urban and regional development, specifically if they have enough potential to generate substantial adjustments on traditional Portuguese urban hierarchy, or instead, if it is an unexpected contribute to reinforce territorial disintegration tendencies. We analyse some geographic measurements of internet ownership, especially the density of .pt domains and the presence of each Portuguese city in the most used web search engines, in order to verify the plasticity of space throughout Portugal by the growing use of ICT’s, and the ways it has been stretched or compressed. The findings of this study suggest that the role of ICTs in the struggle against spatial inequalities in Portugal is less relevant than expected.