Short introduction to Planning in

Portugal and Lisbon

Miguel Oliveira
Portugal – Location and Data

Location: Iberian Peninsula

(westernmost country of mainland Location in Europe
Europe)
Population: 10 561 614 (INE 2011)
Human Development Index 41ª in
187 countries) UNDP (2011)
Unique Characteristics:
•3rd Largest Exclusive Economic
Zone (EEZ) of the EU and the 10th
largest EEZ in the world, at
3,877,408
• Portugal and Lisbon is the natural
European entry gate for Portuguese
speaking countries population
(about 250 million consumers)
Regions of Portugal and Cities

Major urban
agglomerations:
Lisbon - 2,815,851 million
(Metropolitan Area) - 26,3
% of Portugal population
(2001)
Porto -1,679,854 million
(Metropolitan Area) – 12,5 %
of Portugal population
(2001)
Other cities:
(Between 100,000 - 200,000
inhabitants):

Braga,Guimarães,Coimbra,
Funchal etc
 Regions of Portugal and cities
Population density 2011(inhab/ km2)
Difference in densities
and urbanization patterns
are due to different
climate and historical
factors
Between Lisbon and
Braga:
•1/4 total surface of the
country
•2/3 of total population
•4/5 of GDP

Source: INE (2011)

 Political Power

Three levels of planning administration but

only two have political power

• National Administration – including

Government and its departments,
National Parliament

• Regional Governments (Madeira and

Azores) and Regional Coordination and
Development Commissions (CCDRs) –
National Adm. departments from the
Ministry of Planning and Environment -
NUT2 level

• Local Administration – Municipalities,

Municipal Assemblies

Source: Pinto, Antunes (2009)

 Urban Policy
Importante dates

• 1934 – General Urbanization Plans

• 1965, 1967, 1973 – Development Plans, including the consideration of

regional development since 1965

• 1981/1983 – RAN/REN, nationwide planning restrictions for agriculture

and ecological land

• 1988 – Urban renewal programs PRAUD/RECRIA

• Early 1990s – Promotion of the 1st generation of Municipal Master

Plans

• 1994 – PROSIURB program, promotion of strategic planning

• 2001 – POLIS program, renewal of urban centers in mid-size cities

• 2004 – SRUs, renewal of historic centers Source: Pinto, Antunes (2009)

 National Planning Framework Law

• PNPOT – National Planning Program, defines the conceptual framework for

planning policy and the development model for the country

• PROTs – Regional Plans, define the regional development model after the
PNPOT

• PSOTs – Sector Plans, no predefined spatial scale, define sector policy at a

national/regional/local scale

• PEOTs – Special Plans, mandatory for specific areas (national parks,

artificial lakes, coastal areas), tool for land classification

• PMOTs – Municipal Plans

PDMs – Municipal Master Plans, mandatory, main planning tool for land
classification
PUs – Urbanization Plans, optional, develop the spatial concept for urban
areas of variable scale that defined in PDMs
PPs – Detail Plans (Urban Project), main project tool
Source: Pinto, Antunes (2009)
National Planning Framework Law – Hierarchy of Plans

Source: Pinto, Antunes (2009)

7/23
 Public participation in Municipal Master Plans (National law)

Law 380/99 - Article 77

2 - The municipal council shall advertise through the dissemination of

public warnings, the decision that determines the development of the
plan to allow, during the period specified therein, which shall not be
less than 30 days, the formulation of suggestions as well as submitting
information on any issues that may be considered as part of their
preparation procedure.

3 - Once the period of monitoring and, when appropriate, after the

consultation period, the city council shall open a public discussion
period, by notice published in the Official Gazette and disseminated
through the media, the which included the appointment of the discussion
period, of any public meetings that might take place, the places where it is
available to the proposal, together with the opinion of the CMC or CCDR
and other any opinions, as well as how interested parties may submit their
complaints, comments or suggestions.

4 - The period of public discussion should be announced with at least 15

days and can not be less than 60 days.
 Public participation in Munitipal Master Plans (National law)
• 5 - The city council will consider complaints, comments, suggestions or
requests for information submitted by individuals, forced to become
reasoned response to those who invoke, namely:
a) inconsistent with other tools for effective land management;
b) incompatibility with plans, programs and projects that should be
weighted in preparation;
c) The breach of laws and regulations;
d) any injury to private rights.

• 6 – (...)
• 7 - Where necessary or appropriate, the city council promotes the
clarification of the direct stakeholders, either through their own staff or
through the use of technical administration of direct or indirect state and
Autonomous Regions.
8 - After the period of public discussion, the city council publishes and
examines the results and prepare the final version of the proposal for
approval.
9 – All meetings and city council of the municipal assembly are
mandatorly public respecting the preparation or approval of any
category of instrument of territorial planning.
 Availability of information to general public
Availability of plans in Internet (National Law 316/2007 - Article 83. º-A)
1. Municipal spatial plans are accessible to all citizens on the Internet.
2. For the purposes of the preceding paragraph, the municipalities shall
conduct a digital transcription the entire contents of documents of the
entires typology of plans , making it available on their websites electronic.
3. The Plants should be available to the same scale and with the same colors
and symbols of documents approved by the respective municipality.
4. The access to the legends of the plants should be simple and to ensure
quick understanding of the significance colors and symbols.

Update of information content (National Law 316/2007 - Article 83. º-B

1. each county should be referenced in plant, on a consolidated basis, all land
development plans or detailed plans in place.
2. The access to urbanization plans or detailed plans in place, should be
simple and direct as well as possible preventive measures to suspend or
other the effectiveness of a plan.
3. The municipality must update the content of each plan within one month
after the entry into force of any change.
Lisbon – Historical Factors of Urban Growth

•Geostrategic location between Portuguese speaking countries

Western Europe, America and

Africa

•Occupation from different people

(fenician, arabs, spaniards,
frenchs etc), urbanistic (Alfama)
and cultural legacy

Legacy of Maritime Discoveries

•Lisbon as the starting point of
Maritime Discoveries (15th and
16th centuries)

•Trade and Commerce were the

main growing factor of the city
Lisbon – Metropolitan Area (18 councils)
Population density 2001(inhab/km2)
Metropolitan Area (2,815,851
million)
Core Municipality (545,245)
26,2% of Portugal population
36% national GDP
Urban Growing Model
(..)-1980 Centre-Periphery
model
1980- (..)
25th April Bridge Vasco da Gama Bridge
(inaugurated in 1966) (inaugurated in 1997)
Sprawl Model/Policentric
model
Factors of urban growth were the
increase of natural population
and construction of transport
infrastructures such as railways
and bus, and later motorways
Lisbon – City of Tourism and MICE – Factors of Atrraction
Location
Flight Times:1-3 hours to major European cities ; 5-8 hours to the Americas and
Africa.

Weather and Natural Infrastructure Urban Heritage and

resources Identity
Competitive
Mild climate all year. World Heritage sites,
prices and quality of
Beaches , mountains hospitality and multi-
service
and golf courses 20 cultural tradition
minutes from central
Lisbon

“Feel good & safe sensation”

Events hosted:

European Capital of Culture (1994)

EXPO World Exhibition (1998)
European Football Championship (2004)
Volvo Ocean Race (expected in 2012)
Lisbon – EXPO 98 project (latter called “Nation´s Park”)
Project Type: Revitalization of a former industrial / brownfield area in the
Northeast of Lisbon
Area: 340 hectares (5 km in the waterfront)
Construction: Started in 1993 and it was completed in 2007
Planning: One urbanization plan and six detail plans

Brownfield area (before EXPO 98) Detail Local Plan of the project
 Lisbon – EXPO 98´urbanistic legacy
Transportation New Lisbon centrality
“Nation´s Park”
New public transport hub (metro and
railways)
New bridge to Tagus southern bank and
access roads
Economy & Turism
Multipurpose Pavilion ; Science Museum,
Oceanaurium ; Casino
Urban parks and waterfront for pedestrian
and leisure activities
New competitive spaces for tertiary
companies (several headquarters), hotels,
shopping mall and local commerce
New Residents
New residential housing (currently 20 000
inhabitants, expected 25 000)
Current Policies Orientations in Lisbon council - Urbanism
Rehabilitation of rundown old historical/urbanized areas
•1,76% of buildings are in extremely bad conservation state (potential
dangerous of collapse)
•12,33% in bad conservation state
•Between 1994 and 2008 Lisbon council spent 24 milion euros in
rehabilition of buildings
•Gentrification process is rising in some neighbourhoods (Chiado)
Current Policies Orientations in Lisbon council - Urbanism
•Renovation of turistical main sites/attractions and multicultural rundown
areas with social problems near the historical centre (Mouraria, Martim
Moniz, Intendente etc)

•Revitalization of waterfront areas (eg. Ribeira das Naus project U/C)

Current Policies Orientations in Lisbon Council - Environment
•Revitalization of urban parks and construction of urban allotments to rent
for the population at annual affordable prices
•Dissemination of charging points for Electric vehicles, reduction of vehicles
in historical downtown (LEZ) and investment in cyclepaths (reduced cycle
share)
Current Policies Orientations in Lisbon Council – Economy and
innovation

Economy, Education and Innovation

•Lisbon as an “Erasmus city” - goal is to double
internacional students and provide more english
classes
•New spaces for co-working (downtown and
rundown spaces/areas) and incubators for “start
up” companies
•Major entrepreneurship european center
Current Policies Orientations in Lisbon Council – Public
participation
• One common municipal website (www.lisboaparticipa.pt)

Main projects

• Participatory budgeting - 2,5 million euros (5% of council total

budget)
• “Open data Lx” - Open data source about the city in most diverse
area for academic/investigation purposes
• Finantial incentives to encourage local academical work in order to
solve cities issues
• Agenda XXI in some neighbourhoods/parishes

Council public and political meetings are streamed live and

advertised on council website
Use of multimedia instruments to publicize policies such as video
(Vimeo), social networks (Facebook) etc
 Case studies – Local Public
Participation in Lisbon using Internet
• One of the most important point of
discussion about the city withi impact on
media is a blog called “Cidadania Lx”
• Everyone can participate, and they
produce thier own documents and
requests to city council

Preface
• “Cidadania lx”, has the aim of applaud, ,
to accuse, to propose and elaborate on
all that pass good and bad in our capital,
aimed solely at one Lisbon by Lisbon Blog:
residents and weekenders. We promise www.cidadanialx.blogspot.com
not to spend a penny of public money in Site :
campaigns, or say bad per say. Lisbon http://cidadanialx.tripod.com
has a voice over. Join us!”
Review of Lisbon´s Municipal Master Plan (MMP)

Differences between former/current and new Lisbon MMP

Former Municipal Master Plan New Municipal Master Plan

(1994-2004)
“Police” plan (administrative Policy Plan
control)
Decision s restricion Stimulus and incentives

Normative Strategic and Operational (projects

and programs)

Rules very strict Flexibility and capacity of

adaptation
Public administration dependency Local autonomy

Complexity and opacity Simplicity and Clarity

Zone Planning management Block and Street Planning

Management
Review of Lisbon´s Municipal Master Plan (MMP)

Differences between former/current and new Lisbon MMP

Former Municipal Master Plan New Municipal Master Plan

(1994-2004)
“Police” plan (administrative Policy Plan
control)
Decision s restricion Stimulus and incentives

Normative Strategic and Operational (projects

and programs)

Rules very strict Flexibility and capacity of

adaptation
Public administration dependency Local autonomy

Complexity and opacity Simplicity and Clarity

Zone Planning management Block and Street Planning

Management