Porto is the second metropolis of Portugal. The economic crisis has slowed down the development and growth of not only the city itself, but also that of its metropolitan area. It has not, however, put a stop to the process of reshaping its spatial structure. It biggest problem is a high degree of unemployment caused by the declining amount of jobs in the private sector, in addition to the process of the society becoming poorer overall. A high factor of work-motivated emigration to Portuguese speaking countries, as well as some European states, is also present. The comparison to analogous problems arising in the Three-city region – the Polish coastal metropolis – seems to suggest a correlation between certain trends, however the difference regarding Porto is a larger percentage of the share of the unemployed in the working age adults group, which is accompanied by a decrease in the unemployment of persons just entering the workforce. There is also the element of crime. Furthermore, there seems to be a big difference in the economic potential and innovative factors that favor the Portuguese metropolis, which is a stronger economic center than Three-city. The most important element that stabilizes the development of the Three-city metropolis is the preservation of local jobs.

Porto is the second metropolis of Portugal. The economic crisis has slowed down the development and growth of not only the city itself, but also that of its metropolitan area. It has not, however, put a stop to the process of reshaping its spatial structure. It biggest problem is a high degree of unemployment caused by the declining amount of jobs in the private sector, in addition to the process of the society becoming poorer overall. A high factor of work-motivated emigration to Portuguese speaking countries, as well as some European states, is also present. The comparison to analogous problems arising in the Three-city region – the Polish coastal metropolis – seems to suggest a correlation between certain trends, however the difference regarding Porto is a larger percentage of the share of the unemployed in the working age adults group, which is accompanied by a decrease in the unemployment of persons just entering the workforce. There is also the element of crime. Furthermore, there seems to be a big difference in the economic potential and innovative factors that favor the Portuguese metropolis, which is a stronger economic center than Three-city. The most important element that stabilizes the development of the Three-city metropolis is the preservation of local jobs.