Municipalities and Information Society in Portugal

Theme 3.The multiple cultures of the Information Society
Municipalities and Information Society in Portugal
Graça MOREIRA
Department of Social Sciences
Faculty of Architecture. TULisbon , email: gracamoreira@netcabo.pt
Phone: +351-21-361-5828
Abstract
The emergence of information technology in planning practice at the municipal level is a
recent phenomenon in Portugal .Recently the use of Internet as a means of developing new
relationships with citizen can be a very important step to develop participatory planning.
Debate on the concept of Digital Cities started in Portugal in the late 90’s when the first goal
was to inform the citizen about decisions taken by the municipalities.
Cities in Portugal are faced with different challenges that are specific to their complex
character and stage of development. Our case studies consider the experience of Almada and
Peninsula de Setúbal (Lisbon Metropolitan Area).
These projects try to create '
Portals'that provide and promote access to information on local
government, economic enterprise, education, health and tourism. There are also projects to
create electronic forums accessible by all, as well as virtual communities. The municipalities
aim to have as many services as possible available on-line (forms for download, tax
information, etc), as well as providing public information on political representatives
municipal decisions , competitions for projects, access to libraries, museums and other
cultural facilities
This research paper is about the problems faced by the public in the understanding planning
area sites al local level. What are the main problems when citizens need to analyse a subject
like local or regional planning and how the municipalities are implementing these relations.
Evaluate if different socio-economic groups, more rural (east part of case study area) or
more urban (north and west part of case study area) in the Lisbon Metropolitan Area have
the same problems to use this new technologies. If the answer of municipalities is similar or
if they are trying a specific approach the each population.
1. Introduction
Planning and democracy as not being together in urban life for a long time, but new
approaches in urban and regional planning recognise that a informed population and a
democratic participation can be a good value for planning.
According to Castells (2004) “this information age is not just about information and
knowledge…..I know no society I which information and knowledge have not been
absolutely decisive in every aspects of society….the information technology revolution
happens with the microelectronics based information and communication technology
paradigm is creating something new now.” . Information technologies can support the
development of e-government and be a very good support for democratic planning specially
in the area of public participation in decision making. To be a sustainable world is a
participated world for all, not only for the elites. When public authorities want to involve all
society they must use these powerful tools. The use of Internet began in the e-government
area with Public Services as a system of information for places and activities, gradually
approaching more sophisticated matters both from a technological and knowledge point of
view, along with the diffusion of the broadband throughout the territory.
The more common way to give access to broadband is by cable which creates important
differentiations in the territory, excluding some areas from Information Society or at least
making more difficult there complete integration and benefice. Lisbon Metropolitan Area is,
according with ESPON the more developed area in Portugal.
Fig 1 Broadband internet access in Europe
2. The Portuguese context
The Information Technologies have been developing at a quite fast pace in Portugal in the
last ten years. Nevertheless the country still shows a very low level of access to Internet in
households (31% with internet access at home and only 20% with broad band) comparing
with other European countries. The best access is in the Lisbon Metropolitan Area (Fig1)
The first phase of development of the information society was related to the installation of
infrastructures allowing the access to Internet; at the same time the diffusion of personal
computers increased, which has been quite important in a country where the purchasing
power is relatively low. Only in a second moment the diffusion of broadband has increased.
The surge of Portuguese contents came a bit later, but has gained great visibility since.
Observing data from 2006, 96% of the Portuguese municipalities (they are 308) were
connected with Internet. If it is analysed the reason that determines the development of a
website (fig.2) in first place comes the diffusion of institutional information about the City
Council (Camara Municipal) with 99% at the same level of the promotion of tourism and
culture.
Fig. 2 Determinant reasons to the creation of a website in municipality
%
Promotion of Tourism and Culture
Publish institutional information about "Camara Municipal"
Publish the cultural / sportive agenda
Better connection between local power and citizens
Promote the socio-economic development of municipality
Approach the emigrant communities with their municipality
Promote the information technologies in the municipality
Availability of online services
99
99
97
89
82
75
74
62
Source : OSIC 2006
When analysed the sort of functions available in the websites (fig.3), it is important the value
of the download of forms 74% and public consultation in planning area 36%.
Fig. 3 Functions available in the website of "Camara Municipal"
%
E-mail to suggestions and complaint
Download and print of forms
Subscription of newsletters
Public consultation process (Spatial Planning)
support of the users (Helpdesk)
Inquiries to the citizens
Material about the municipality
To fill and Submission on-line of forms
On-line vote
Forums of discussion between local authorities and citizens
Online payments
Transmission by video conference of the municipal meetings
78
74
41
36
27
24
22
21
15
14
2
2
Source : OSIC 2006
In the sort of information available in the website of the municipalities (fig. 4) it has a great
importance the municipal information with local spatial planes 81%.
Almost all Municipalities (89%) also consider the services to the citizen by Internet as part
of their strategy to develop the dissemination of TIC in their territory.
Fig. 4 Information available in the website of "Camara Municipal"
%
Organization Chart of "Camara Municipal"
Municipal information and local planes
Advertising of Municipal meetings
Resolutions in meetings and sessions of the municipality
CV and contacts of Municipal leaders
Information about services
Information about municipal taxes
Administrative resolutions
Activity planes and activity reports
83
81
79
75
73
72
65
49
49
Source : OSIC 2006
3. Case Study
The introduction of Internet as a tool in the municipalities was initially implemented with the
application of the concept of Digital city had been used in Portugal was in 1998, when the
government implemented a pilot program for the development of Digital Cities.
This process came together with the introduction the notion of e-government at local level,
with interesting experiences in Aveiro, a city in the littoral center with a University and a
Telecommunications Research Center, that integrated public services through telematic
networks, improving city life in all aspects, and Castelo Branco, a city in the inner center,
where the main objective was to fight the effects of inland location involving some areas of
the community like health services.
Following the experimental period of 1998-2000 the development of this area was supported
by the 3rd Community Support Framework within the Regional Development Program
2000-2006.
It was then created the Operational Program for the “Information Society” (POSI) under the
Ministry of Science and Technology with a total budget of 625.035 euros co-financed by
ERDF, ESF and national funds. It was in the scope of priority II measure 2.3, Integrated
projects: from digital Cities to Digital Portugal, that received 37% of the financing of the
program, that were approved since 2001, projects to promote among other areas, the
development of e-government at the level of local government and creation of accessibilities
who aloud population to familiarize and use Internet.
All projects intend to reduce administrative bureaucracy connect the population with some
services in the area of education ,health and culture, support touristy information and at
planning level show interest in presenting cartographical information using GIS.
In 2005 this program was renegotiated and incorporated 5 more priorities (and more 252548
k euros) and one of the new priorities is to reinforce the importance of diffusion of broad
band and the local e-government was concerned.
In this paper will be analysed two different situations Almada and Setubal Region in the
MAL (Metropolitan Area of Lisbon)
3.1 Almada
The development of the use of Internet in local e-government began in 2002 in this City in
the South Bank of Lisbon Metropolitan Area in front of Lisbon. It was an industrial city with
a strong link as a suburb to Lisbon.
Fig. 5: Site of Almada Cidade Digital.
Almada has a project at municipal level where the connection through wide band Intranet of
all municipal services spread throughout the region has a great weight. (Fig 3). This project
represents the importance of Technical geography as the telecommunications infrastructure
of the internet and the spatial distribution of the Internet’s broad bandwidth towards the
ulterior success of e-government (CASTELLS, 2001).
Fig 6 Map of spatial management
It developed an interesting area connecting services to the population through the availability
of cartography at various scales and maps of the Spatial Plan (PDM) against the payment of
a fee.
This project has been organized along four areas:
The foundations of Digital City
The digital community:
Accessibility for everyone in the digital city:
Digital Municipality
o Intranet
o Civil protection and civil prevention
o Municipality on-line
o Site Dialugares
Analysing the local planning sites (fig.6 and 7) it finds an interactive system where it is
possible to choose the most important subjects to the spatial management of the territory, but
only experts can use it, in a profitable way by the sort of maps presented.
Fig 7. Map of spatial conflicts
3.2 Setubal Region
The Setubal regional project is made with 7 municipalities working together to develop
several areas with learning benefits.
Each municipality has his owned site with the information defined.
Some like the municipality of Barreiro (fig. 9) developed a system with aero photos that
make the comprehension of the territory much easier. Some others have less developed
projects.
Fig. 8: Site of Setúbal Region
Fig 9. Ortophotomap of Barreiro city
4. Conclusion
Planning area is consider by the municipalities a very important area to be presented in their
websites.
The level of development of the way to present this subject is very irregular.
The target public is in first place the experts, who can understand the information and only in
a secondary level the local population.
The development of websites in this subject to the local population is in the beginning but
can be a very interesting subject in the future.
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