The article examines to what extent the economic growth of a region spanning both sides of the Strait of Gibraltar could and can be controlled in different eras and what factors were and are decisive in this sense. The starting point for this comparative analysis is a socio-historical sketch of two port cities –Gades (Cádiz) and Tingis (Tangier)– whose development in terms of urbanism and society only reaches a significant degree when they are examined together within the context of the surrounding economic space, including their connection with the hinterland and their interdependencies with the territories of empire or nation, or those of a global nature. The later spotlights placed on today’s Tanger Med and Algeciras ports provide a framework for discussing the possibility of a connection to be found between Gades and Tanger Med, drawing upon reflections from the stress field of human existence and interaction existing over a primarily economic backdrop of existential challenges which are structurally identical, but always feel new for each generation. Ultimately, it is demonstrated that it is not geography but rather history, which creates space, especially along the Strait of Gibraltar.
Gades, Tingis, Tanger Med, Strait of Gibraltar, port city, comparative history, urban studies.