The research project
This project is part of the largest global network of research on political values and local authorities, the network FAUI (Fiscal Austerity and Urban Innovation) (see "Partnerships and International Networks"), initiated by the University of Chicago. Its main objective is to examine the prevalence of political values associated with the so called "New Political Culture" among mayors and citizens of the largest conurbation of our country, the metropolitan area of Lisbon. This "New Political Culture", which is characterized by the articulation of a certain social liberalism (tolerance to alternative styles of life) with fiscal conservatism (mistrust towards state measures), have emerged for the first time in years 70, in some North American cities, but possibly been gaining a little expression throughout the world since then, as a result of the process of economic and cultural globalization occurred in the last decade and a half. The available literature suggests that the political representatives at the local level will be among the first social agents to join in formulating public policy, in this "New Political Culture". Our first objective is to empirically test this hypothesis for the Portuguese case: that is, determine the extent to which the mayors of major urban region of Portugal are agents of this new political culture.
Political Values and Local Authorities
Left for a second moment, the analysis of the adherence of the population to these new political values will be preceded by the study of its impacts on the political representatives at a local level (mayors). Thus, it was settled a contract with the firm of studies and surveys of opinion, IPSOS, to conduct interviews with the mayors of all municipalities in the metropolitan area of Lisbon, a process which is still ongoing (March 2008). A copy of the survey by questionnaire can be found here.
Urban Economic Segregation: The Case of Cascais
The New Political Culture is characterized by a set of social and political values and an urban elite, middle-high class. However, while the urban areas are usually more affluent, they also produce and expand inequalities. Therefore, this project will provide an analysis of the social and political effects of the processes of privatization of urban space and its physical, economic and social segregation which in recent years gained increased expression in our country, especially in metropolitan area of Lisbon. Its urban and architectural manifestations perhaps most visible is the proliferation of closed condominiums / condominiums private in the municipality of Cascais. This phenomenon is commonly explained by factors related to lifestyles, as well as a desire for greater security, greater privacy or greater homogeneity: 
live among peoplewho share the same values, in an environment that discard the public management (less state, more market). As such, this project aims to make a comparison between social values and political, and the levels and terms of civic participation of residents in closed condominiums / private condominiums, public housing and the general population to determine whether the physical or spatial segregation is, or not, a segregation from the rest of society, of civic life, and the negotiation of differences, central to the democratic life in the urban context.
This project is funded by the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) and is based at the Institute of Social Sciences of the University of Lisbon. The start of work took place in February 2007 and will end in 2010.