The Mediterranean City and EU integration: Divergent resurgence paths and new forms of north-south urban divide

Abstract

The paper looks at the urban dimension of uneven development in the EU during the last two decades, in light of the launch of the Euro and the forceful impact of the Global Financial Crisis (2007) on cities. It centres on Portugal, Spain, Greece and southern Italy, as urban regions in these four countries recorded the largest contractions in economic activity in the EU during the last decade. In view of this, the Mediterranean City framework is applied to a theoretically informed empirical study, drawing upon quantitative data, obtained from Eurostat. Analysis is comparative and southern cities are explored with respect to the restructuring and competitiveness record of key cities in northern Europe. Descriptive statistics and cluster analysis are used to examine the urban socio-economic traits and prospects and the changing structure of cities in 13 Northern and Southern European countries. The trends noted in the 80 cities explored underscore the bearing of the north-south dimension of the European urban diversity on uneven spatial development in the EU. They also put the spotlight on the rigid and overall unfit traits of the European economic and spatial policy perspectives in approaching and addressing the emerging challenges.