Latest news and stories about urban planning in Portugal for expats and residents.
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The removal of the 47 trees planted on the avenue was suspended in April 2025, leading the Left Bloc to question the City Council regarding a “public and definitive decision” for the protection of the plants.
A recommendation from the Left Bloc (BE) was approved for the council to provide information regarding the decision on the fate of the 47 jacaranda trees.
The municipality will hold talks with the concessionaire, but the terms and the scale of the increase are not yet known. The municipal budget grew by 98 million due to the incorporation of the previous year's surplus.
This webpage announces the open call for Action Networks by URBACT, encouraging European cities, including those from Portugal, to participate in developing and implementing innovative urban strategies. The call runs from March 17 to June 17, 2026, and offers opportunities for cities to form partnerships, share best practices, and execute concrete actions tailored to their local contexts. Resources such as application templates, guidance documents, and partner search tools are provided to assist applicants. Additionally, online info sessions are scheduled to support potential participants in preparing successful applications.
The mayor of Oeiras says that the Amadora City Council is 'invading' the neighbouring municipality's territory for the construction of public spaces and gives the example of a street and a roundabout next to new housing developments.
The world is dangerous, but the greatest tension may well be on the Oeiras-Amadora border. There are walls, pavement invasions, and even gardeners mobilised.
We are committed to advancing the municipality of Coimbra by placing people at the heart of our political action. We govern with proximity, transparency, and active listening, working in partnership with local parishes, institutions, and all regional stakeholders. We aim for Coimbra to be a benchmark for quality of life, where balancing professional, family, and personal life is easier. We want to restore the city's economic dynamism, rejuvenate it, and establish it as an attractive territory for the thousands of young people who study here, while valuing our history and using culture as a factor for generational cohesion. In the coming years, we will strengthen social and territorial cohesion, supporting parishes and ensuring quality public services throughout the municipality. We will invest in education from nursery school onwards, affordable housing for young people, and the creation of conditions to retain talent and opportunities in Coimbra. Simultaneously, we will promote active ageing and strengthen social support for the senior population, ensuring an inclusive municipality where everyone feels integrated. We have made the recovery and enhancement of the Mondego River and its banks a strategic priority, transforming them into a space for gathering, leisure, and nature. Recent floods have reinforced the urgency of a harmonious coexistence between the city and the river. We want a municipality resilient to climate change, both in flood and fire management and in building a territory richer in biodiversity, with green corridors to protect us from heatwaves. The traffic challenge will be addressed with more and better public transport, sustainable mobility, and urban spaces designed for people. Economically, by leveraging our centres of excellence in research, Coimbra is well-positioned to become a hub for innovation, knowledge, and investment. We will focus on attracting companies, supporting entrepreneurship, and valuing the talent generated by our educational institutions. To this end, we are in an advanced stage of creating the GoCoimbra agency and implementing an ambitious Innovation District, which will connect the University area to the city centre and the riverfront, bringing knowledge and businesses closer to the city. This is our commitment: to make Coimbra a more dynamic, fair, and future-ready municipality - a territory of opportunities, made by all and for all. In close coordination with the municipalities of the Coimbra Region, we will work in an integrated manner to leverage resources, secure funding, and advocate for structural investments. We support and will work towards a strong, competitive Coimbra Metropolitan Region capable of creating opportunities for everyone.
Paredes Meias has brought together neighbours from Rua Anselmo Braancamp to imagine a public space with more greenery, seating areas, and play zones. The participatory proposal is now heading to the city council.
The mayor of Oeiras released a video on social media in which he accuses the Amadora city council of allowing the construction of housing developments in the Serra de Carnaxide territory that Oeiras wants to preserve.
The difference between municipalities governed by the PSD and those administered by the PS is visible when comparing rhetoric and reality. Some move forward, others wait.
Home News Humberto Delgado Airport with new rules Humberto Delgado Airport with new rules At Humberto Delgado Airport, planes will now take off more quickly to reduce noise in urban areas. By Bruno G.
The Socialist Party (PS) has expressed concern over the 'opacity' within the Lisbon City Council regarding the drainage plan initiated during Fernando Medina's tenure. With project costs reportedly exceeding the initial 140 million euro budget by 20%—an increase of approximately 30 million—the PS is seeking clarification on public spending. While acknowledging the need for stability in projects beneficial to the city, Alexandra Leitão criticized Carlos Moedas for the lack of a clear completion timeline, noting that the project was originally expected to be finished by May 2025. Leitão further accused the current administration of maintaining a 'veil of opacity' across all municipal matters. The drainage project, which includes the construction of two major tunnels to mitigate flooding, was originally awarded in 2020 under the previous PS-led administration.
According to the councillor for the party led by André Ventura at Porto City Council, the group will also serve to study the potential relocation of the Porto Supply Market.
The Port of Leixões is too important to be discussed only in technical circles or in political silence. It cannot grow with its back turned to the city, nor can the city pretend that the port does not exist.
Portimão is expanding its accessible pedestrian network by creating a new walking route between the city’s fire station and train station. The works are part of the municipality’s Sustainable Urban The post Portimão expands accessible walking route appeared first on Portugal Resident.
Simão Campos Dâmaso is the new industry partner at the law firm Rogério Alves & Associados. At the firm since 2020, the newly appointed partner coordinates the Public and Regulatory Law Department, representing and providing legal advice to public and private companies in areas such as Public Procurement, Environment and Energy, Urban Planning, and Land Management.
Only one household continues to receive 'regular social support', the Council reports. The operation is part of a series of inspection actions carried out between July 2025 and last Friday.
Making a city work means ensuring that complex systems such as mobility, housing, environment, local economy, and social cohesion operate in a coordinated, efficient, and people-centred manner. For years, we have confused modernisation with isolated digitalisation. Platforms were purchased, sensors installed, and applications created. However, a smart city is not merely the sum of technological gadgets; it is primarily a change in governance model. Today, technological infrastructure is indispensable. IoT sensors that monitor traffic, air quality, or noise levels enable quicker and more informed decisions. Integrated data platforms break down traditional silos between municipal departments. Digital Twins, digital replicas of the city, allow for simulating impacts before physically intervening in the territory. But the real challenge is not data collection; it is transforming that data into coherent political decisions. A city only works when data serves a strategy; otherwise, dashboards accumulate without changing reality. The technological 'brain' needs clear political leadership, defined priorities, and a long-term vision. A functioning city is one that respects people's time. Smart electrical grids, leak detection in water networks, and optimised waste management are no longer experimental innovations; they are demands for financial and environmental responsibility. Sustainability has ceased to be aspirational discourse; it is now a structural dimension of good municipal management. No city functions if it expels those who make it work. Teachers, doctors, police officers, municipal technicians, and essential workers need to be able to live in the city where they work. Without active affordable housing policies, the urban centre becomes a tourist scene or financial hub, but ceases to be a community. London, New York, and Amsterdam appear in international rankings of smart cities, but the biggest challenge is not in the rankings; it is in integration. Technology needs to engage with noise regulation, housing policy, climate strategy, and the financial capacity of municipalities. It is not enough to install sensors without a regulatory and operational framework that allows action on the collected data. And there is an essential question: technology must be feasible for residents. Ultimately, making a city work is an exercise in integrated governance. Because a city does not function when it is merely smart; it works when it is both smart and human, a sentient city.
On February 21, the Zero Association for Sustainable Land Systems called for the reoccupation of vacant buildings to create affordable housing under the National Building Renovation Plan (PNRE). They emphasized the need for clearer targets, social safeguards, and better coordination with existing national policies to ensure the plan meets its climate and social objectives. The association warned that without these measures, the plan could lead to negative outcomes such as rent increases and displacement of vulnerable tenants. They also highlighted the importance of transparency in financing and the need for mechanisms to support low-income households.
Porto City Council aims to test new Temporary Pedestrian Zones, but has not announced the duration of the trials or additional areas. <i>Metrobus</i> was threatened by bad weather, but is proceeding as scheduled.
Home News Portugal study concludes that compact cities are more sustainable Portugal study concludes that compact cities are more sustainable A study by the University of Aveiro (UA) concludes that compact cities are the most sustainable option and offer better air quality than the dispersed grow
It is necessary to remove or reduce impermeable surfaces in urban areas, such as tarmacked areas, and create more parks that function as natural retention basins, say Quercus and Greenpeace.
Bento Aires, national director of the Order of Engineers, says that constructions carried out today are placed within a regulatory and legal framework that is prepared for the demands of the future. Even so, “we cannot guarantee the structural integrity” of older buildings, he adds.
Organisations say that urban soil sealing and the destruction of wetlands amplify the effects of storms. Ecological restoration and the enhancement of green spaces are more effective.
