Author(s) Catarina Patrícia da Cunha Pinto
Advisor(s) António Cândido Oliveira
Year 2017

Synopsis In Portugal, and for a long period, the Urban Planning Law resulted in an expansionist urban planning. This reality was not a consequence of illegal construction, but laid on the planning instruments instead. The first generation municipal plans, together with the insufficient urban planning legislation, caused the problems we face today in the city: degradation of the buildings, empty spaces, social segregation, and environmental problems. In 2004 urban rehabilitation emerges as a tendency, and not as an exception policy (even though the legal regime had been of an exceptional nature), with the publication of the first legal regime of urban rehabilitation. Back then, this legal regime focused on the historical centre and did not face the urban rehabilitation in its whole, with social and environment concerns. The problems have increased and the economic growth has stagnated, leading to the need of facing urban rehabilitation as a Government’s priority policy. This situation was not ignored by EU policies: Portugal shall achieve the targeted objectives, being the year of 2010 the turning point in this matter, with the implementation of the Strategy Europe 2020, based on the inclusive, intelligent and sustainable growth. The climate/energy objectives «20/20/20» shall be achieved, by reducing the greenhouse gas emissions in 20%, fulfilling 20% of the energetic needs with renewable energy, and raising in 20% the energetic efficiency. Portugal signed with the European Commission the partnership agreement Portugal 2020, adopting these objectives, adapted to the country reality. Regarding the sustainable growth, Portugal has adopted the Strategy in order to foster urban rehabilitation, which is seen as the solution to achieve the target goals for the sustainable growth. The main Urban Planning legal regimes have been reformulated since 2014, in order to lift urban rehabilitation to the role of the solution for the sustainability of the city and for the country’s sustainable growth.

See more here.

December 31st, 2017

Author(s) Catarina Patrícia da Cunha Pinto
Advisor(s) António Cândido Oliveira
Year 2017

Synopsis In Portugal, and for a long period, the Urban Planning Law resulted in an expansionist urban planning. This reality was not a consequence of illegal construction, but laid on the planning instruments instead. The first generation municipal plans, together with the insufficient urban planning legislation, caused the problems we face today in the city: degradation of the buildings, empty spaces, social segregation, and environmental problems. In 2004 urban rehabilitation emerges as a tendency, and not as an exception policy (even though the legal regime had been of an exceptional nature), with the publication of the first legal regime of urban rehabilitation. Back then, this legal regime focused on the historical centre and did not face the urban rehabilitation in its whole, with social and environment concerns. The problems have increased and the economic growth has stagnated, leading to the need of facing urban rehabilitation as a Government’s priority policy. This situation was not ignored by EU policies: Portugal shall achieve the targeted objectives, being the year of 2010 the turning point in this matter, with the implementation of the Strategy Europe 2020, based on the inclusive, intelligent and sustainable growth. The climate/energy objectives «20/20/20» shall be achieved, by reducing the greenhouse gas emissions in 20%, fulfilling 20% of the energetic needs with renewable energy, and raising in 20% the energetic efficiency. Portugal signed with the European Commission the partnership agreement Portugal 2020, adopting these objectives, adapted to the country reality. Regarding the sustainable growth, Portugal has adopted the Strategy in order to foster urban rehabilitation, which is seen as the solution to achieve the target goals for the sustainable growth. The main Urban Planning legal regimes have been reformulated since 2014, in order to lift urban rehabilitation to the role of the solution for the sustainability of the city and for the country’s sustainable growth.

See more here.

December 31st, 2017