City centres are spaces where different economic and cultural values converge as a consequence of their current uses and functions. In the case of Porto (Portugal), more than 20 years after being declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO (in 1996), tourism has had remarkable effects on its physical, social and economic features. Therefore, Porto—and in particular its city centre—is taken in this article as the object of study. The interest of this space lies in the fact that it has been rapidly transformed from a devalued old area into the centre of an important urban tourism destination on a European level. Based on the spatial and temporal analysis of a set of indicators related to tourism, housing and economic activity, we identify the main threats that this “culture-led regeneration”—much supported by tourism—could have on the cultural values of Porto. Our results show that this process is promoting an excessive use of space by tourism and an overexploitation of cultural values. We conclude with some policy recommendations to support strategies capable of keeping cultural values alive, which we consider sustainable compromises between heritage and modernization.

To understand the significance that cultural heritage has today and, above all, the role of citizens in decision-making for its valorisation, transmission, and management, it is necessary to approach it from a very early age, specifically through childhood education. Hence, this action research study is proposed for 56 infant teachers in initial training at the University of A Coruña (Galicia, Spain). This is a descriptive case study that aims to investigate the perceptions of early childhood education teachers in initial training about cultural heritage (definition: economic, cultural, and educational uses; agents involved in its transmission, management, etc.). In addition, the paper analyses the changes and continuities that occur in student teachers’ perceptions after carrying out a didactic proposal through relevant social problems linked to the Ribeira Sacra cultural landscape. This action research study has allowed students to give more importance to intangible cultural heritage and to gain a better understanding of controversial issues related to cultural heritage, such as the balance between economic and cultural use, as well as citizens’ roles in a decision-making process related to cultural heritage. Despite engaging in didactic activities, a substantial portion of students still retain a conservative outlook on heritage education.

In this article we explore the interaction between the spatialities of the state and the spatial imaginaries by investigating the manifestation of territories beyond institutional practices. We want to understand the relevance of territories that, despite not being integrated into the political-administrative structure of the state, refuse to fade away. We examine deactivated supra-municipal divisions of two neighborhood states: the províncias of the Northern Portugal and the comarcas of Galicia (Spain). Both cases are examined through a combination of geohistorical analysis of the administrative organization of the states, alongside a revision of tangible and intangible practices of local stakeholders in which these territories persist. The exploration of geographical naming is a significant aspect of the analysis. The results indicate that both províncias and comarcas are currently mobilized by stakeholders with many purposes and assumed varied shapes to assert their existence from the bottom up. These are claimed as the suitable divisions of territory and used to contest the spatialities imposed by the state. The inclusion of the imaginaries associated with these territories on formal regional planning practices would lead to a future where the territorial diversity of the countries is acknowledged, and the endogenous characteristics embraced.

The economic relevance of the characteristics of territories has been addressed by many approaches across different disciplines. While some consider them an important source for the reputation of territories, others rely on the fact that in a global mass market the territorial embeddedness of goods and services increase their market value through the assertion of their uniqueness and authenticity. In this article we propose the integration of these different interpretations on a common framework to better understand the underlying mechanisms and processes associated with the economic consequences of those characteristics that make territories unique and form their identity. We conduct a literature review to identify basic definitions, existing methodologies and core features of the most relevant studies on the topic to provide a broad conceptual framework for the analysis and economic promotion of the identities of territories. Additionally, two illustrative case studies are presented, covering successful strategies where identities have been put in the centre of an economic development strategy: the Way of Saint James (Galicia, Spain) and the Douro Valley (Portugal). Through the lens of the reviewed concepts, both strategies are assessed. Building on a broad repertoire of research approaches and disciplines, we conclude by outlining a new research agenda on the economies of identities and stressing the potentialities and limitations of mobilising the identities of territories as a resource for economic development.

Le Portugal est l’un des pays les plus centralisateurs d’Europe occidentale puisque, sauf les archipels de Madère et des Açores, il n’existe pas de découpage régional élu démocratiquement. Après le rejet en 1998 du référendum pour l’institutionnalisation des régions, divers découpages territoriaux ont favorisé la coopération municipale mais ne semblent pas avoir atténué les caractéristiques d’un État centralisateur. Dans cet article, nous passerons en revue différentes configurations de l’organisation territoriale du pays et une caractérisation des dynamiques territoriales actuelles. Nous mettrons l’accent sur le cas du Nord du Portugal et sa relation avec la Galice pour comprendre l'importance de l’européanisation dans le débat régional actuel.