Latest news and stories about urban planning in property in Lisboa, Portugal for expats and residents.
Opposition councillors in Cascais have raised concerns over potential conflicts of interest regarding Minister Miguel Pinto Luz's changes to urban planning legislation. While critics argue the shortened deadlines to challenge urban plans could benefit decisions made during his tenure as municipal vice-president, the minister maintains the law was not tailored to his personal interests.
The Public Prosecutor has initiated legal action against a Hilton hotel development in Cascais, alleging the illegal annexation of public land to maintain seven floors and seeking the demolition of three levels.
Partnership with Decathlon guarantees access to next-generation tents.
Reflecting on his first year as Lisbon's Housing Councillor, the author discusses the complex challenges of the city's housing crisis. He argues that housing is a fundamental structural policy for urban life, necessary for retaining essential workers, youth, and diverse social groups. The article highlights municipal efforts to increase housing stock, support private market tenants, and rehabilitate city-owned properties under the administration of Mayor Carlos Moedas, while emphasizing the need for a shared responsibility between public, private, and cooperative sectors to ensure Lisbon remains an accessible and inclusive city.
In 2023, Lisbon had 1,158 completely vacant properties and 1,696 partially vacant properties held by private owners. A substantial part of the built city remains idle.
At issue is an alleged conflict of interest involving Minister Miguel Pinto Luz for shortening urban planning challenge deadlines in a new law, which may benefit decisions he made while serving as the municipality's vice-president.
Opposition councillors in the Cascais municipal executive are not surprised by suspicions of conflicts of interest involving Minister Miguel Pinto Luz regarding changes to urban planning legislation, though the minister has denied the bill was tailored to his interests. According to Socialist councillor João Ruivo, the amendment to the legal regimes of Urbanisation and Building (RJUE)...
Anyone landing in Lisbon sees them from the plane window, everywhere: the vacant lots. Patches of grass between entire blocks, factory courtyards without roofs, blocks that were never completed. Then, walking around, you see the rest. I live between Amoreiras and Campo de Ourique, one of the most expensive neighbourhoods in the country, and, for...
Preserving our historic centres is not about looking at the past. It is about protecting what we want to leave to future generations.
Housing and mobility are the two biggest issues identified by residents in the Lisbon and Porto metropolitan areas in the Cities Barometer, an initiative by the Francisco Manuel dos Santos Foundation. The study highlights that while there is a consensus on the need for better public transport, punctuality, and infrastructure, there is a persistent gap between identifying solutions and implementing them. Drivers often oppose measures like dedicated bus lanes or increased parking fees, creating a cycle where poor public transport reliability encourages continued car use. The article argues that public policy must shift from simple fare reductions to investing in faster transit conditions and fleet expansion to address the ongoing traffic crisis.
Carlos Moedas states that the process is following the normal procedures.
The Mayor of Lisbon responded to the Left Bloc (BE), which accused him of undermining urban planning services by appearing at the project's presentation in July 2025.
The CNN Portugal Summit brings together international specialists to discuss key topics including mobility, innovation, housing, and transport in the town of Carcavelos.
It is the first time someone has had the audacity to suggest the extinction of a protected area – the Sintra-Cascais Natural Park – with a view to its urbanisation. Opinion by Nuno Gomes Oliveira
A technician from Cascais City Council added that the Detailed Plan for the Carcavelos South Urban Restructuring Area specified all maximum parameters for construction areas, housing units, and land concessions.
The viability of a hotel and a city's capacity to accommodate it are not the same thing.
Do priorities have to change, have needs changed, and has the mentality changed? Opinion by Filipa Leandro
Is it by living in expensive 18-storey towers, surrounded by 'ample green spaces' that, due to their high maintenance costs, become 'dry no-man's lands', that we are going to mitigate the housing crisis?
In recent years, Lisbon has become one of Europe's leading university cities, but this growth has created significant challenges in housing access. This article explores how student residences can go beyond simply providing beds, acting instead as catalysts for urban revitalisation, local economic support, and community integration. It argues that for student housing to be effective, it must be thoughtfully integrated into the urban fabric, avoiding isolation and fostering a symbiotic relationship between the academic population and local residents.
The management of public assets requires a balance between immediate financial needs and long-term strategic vision. While public property should generally be preserved to serve future generations, selling underutilised assets can be legitimate if the proceeds are reinvested into structural improvements rather than current expenses. Councillor Gonçalo Reis is praised for applying these rigorous criteria to the Lisbon City Council's plan to sell ten municipal plots, ensuring the city's long-term financial and patrimonial sustainability.
When maintaining attractiveness for global capital is prioritised over the inhabitants' right to the city, urban planning becomes hypocritical and democracy is hollowed out.
The Socialist councillor also pointed to the PSD/CDS-PP/IL leadership for favouring elitist and exclusive initiatives by 'funding them', such as the 'Chic-Nic' in Eduardo VII Park, and for losing nearly 200,000 euros that will have to be returned due to failing to build the Sea hub.
The process to review Sintra's Master Development Plan is set to begin. New road axes, the northern zone, and urban parks will be the focus. The opposition voted against it due to an attached document they consider “an insult”.
The neighbourhood between Avenida de Ceuta, the access to the 25 de Abril Bridge, and the railway line attracts investors but suffers from basic shortages. There is a lack of green spaces, public facilities, and even pavements. The streets are full of cars.
Anywhere else, the presence of this type of building would be valued, studied, and returned to the city. But the Paulistas convent stands in Lisbon, the capital of heritage neglect. Opinion by Miguel de Sepúlveda Velloso
Beyond a certain point, requirements stop producing more control. They produce less. Rules that are too strict become impossible to comply with.
The Amadora City Council began demolitions in the former Santa Filomena neighbourhood.
Bernardo Trindade, president of the Portuguese Hotel Association, argues that the revision of the strategic plan for tourism in Lisbon must be accompanied by a “carrying capacity study,” given the continuous growth of hotel supply in the city.
Maintaining that plan indefinitely – and stubbornly – would mean preserving an enclave inherited from an anachronistic urban order, which democracy itself recognised and has since updated.
The Socialist Party (PS) is requesting the annulment of the development approved this month by tacit consent, citing a violation of urban planning rules. The Fórum Cidadania LX and Quercus had already filed complaints, and the Communist Party (PCP) plans to do so within days.
