Post-pandemic opportunities for low-density territories: insights and implications from Portuguese case studies

In the complex context of the current social and economic challenges worsened by the recent COVID-19 pandemic, the discussion on ‘a future for all places’ has gained momentum. Nonetheless, there is a lack of evidence regarding the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the specific challenges and opportunities of less populated, peripheral, and economically backward territories. Using STEEP (social, technological, economic, environmental and political) as underpinning framework and a qualitative case-study approach, this study focuses on the pandemic’s impact on Low-Density Territories (LDTs), often overlooked in research. By gathering insights from three case studies through in-depth interviews with regional stakeholders and field experts, secondary data and policy practices, this study pinpoints development opportunities created or accelerated by the pandemic, namely new working trends, digitalisation and technology adoption, cooperation and innovation, and new perceptions about the importance of LDTs. The findings stress the importance of adapting planning and regional development research and strategies to a post-pandemic scenario to seize the opportunities identified and break spatial inequalities affecting these territories. Besides, by applying a place-based approach it provides important implications for policy-makers, highlighting several recommendations and examples of local policy answers that other LDTs can adapt to in a post-pandemic reality.