Lisbon [1]

By Luca Galuzzi. ("Lisboa Praça don Pedro"). [CC-BY-SA-2.5]

Country:

Portugal

Region:

coastal [3]

City size:

regional capital [4]

Population:

2 042 477

Area:

84.80km²

Unemployment rate:

12.70%

City challenges:

Overview:

A dominant coastal capital and port city on the West Atlantic:

Lisbon is a major European economic centre that faces a series of urban development challenges that may increase in intensity with the effects of climate change.

Reports:

Lisbon Initial Assessment Report [11]

Lisbon Workshop Report [12]

Lisbon Strategy Paper [13]

Lisbon Final Conference Poster [14]

Background:

A major European port city, Lisbon holds its own as a strong economic hub in the European Union – specifically in the financial, commerce, media, trade (Lisbon is the second-largest container port on the Atlantic coast) and tourism industries. It is among the oldest cities in the world and is thus a cultural and historical capital. The age of the city, however, creates some structural challenges to urban development and lying on the coast poses increasing vulnerabilities to the city.

Challenges:

The way Lisbon’s municipal peripheries were planned has comprehensive urban development impacts today. These structural problems stem from the rapid growth of urban areas that spill beyond municipal boundaries as well as insufficient coordination among municipalities. As a coastal city, Lisbon is also more susceptible to rising sea levels and the impacts of climate change.

Current Initiatives:

Lisbon participates in the Connected Urban Development (CUD) [15] initiative which harnesses information and communication technologies in order to increase urban infrastructure efficiency and reduce carbon emissions. The BIP / ZIP [16] (Lisbon Priority Intervention Neighbourhood / Priority Intervention Zone) programme is another important initiative that seeks to bolster municipal partnerships and local projects to strengthen social ties and territorial solidarity within neighbourhoods.

Inteligencia em Inovacao, centro de inovacao associacao privada sem fins lucrativos [17] (INTELI) will be coordinating and developing post-carbon visions with local Lisbon stakeholders.