A Square in Every Neighborhood - Lisbon

The cooperative instrument "One square in every neighborhood" aims to restore public spaces in each of the 30 districts at the level of Lisbon City in Portugal. The planning instrument's objectives are to promote ecological and low-carbon mobility and improve urban environmental quality. The aim is to create meeting points for the local community that consecrates itself as a public space of excellence, combining soft modes of locomotion, walking, and cycling. Public transport is selectively permitted and car traffic is to be restricted. The planning instrument was launched by the Municipality of Lisbon (CML) - Division of Urban Projects and Studies, with the close collaboration of the 24 parish councils and various neighborhood representatives. The instrument acts as an implementation program, aligned with the "Lisbon City of Neighborhoods" concept and the "PORLisboa202" action plan. The municipal chamber sought to revamp different neighborhoods' green areas with a place-based design approach. The citizens helped formulate the priorities and characteristics of their community's square, and the contributions were collected from the population most directly linked to the intervention sites. This entry unfolds one implementation of the cooperative instrument in the "Rua de Campolide" (neighborhood area of Campolide - Lisbon).

Overview

Type of instrument:

Agreement-based or cooperative instrument›Public-community agreement

Challenges addressed

Green space management (e.g. accessibility)
Air quality
Noise
Social cohesion
Reconnection to the biosphere / environmental education
Human health, comfort and well-being

Consideration of nature-based solutions:

The 'One square in every neighborhood' instrument promotes the creation of new squares designed to reduce urban heat-island effects, improve air quality, and embrace social cohesion at the residential/neighborhood level. This in turn increases green areas and encourages the installation of commerce and community facilities in the neighborhood by requalifying the micro-centralities. The resulting network of interventions, "squares," aims to transform the city into an exchange hub and inspire the creativity of citizens and visitors by restoring linkages with nature. More specifically, the instrument supports the greening of common areas, making these spots more satisfying and safe using multifunctional solutions. In implementing the cooperative policy within the 30 neighborhoods, solutions like widening sidewalks, installing terraces, planting trees, creating shade, and reintroducing water as urban landscape elements, formalize the standard practices. On the "Rua de Campolide" , for example, positive impacts include reducing the road channel (on mixed pavement), introducing comfortable pavements on the pedestrian fixture next to the commercial fronts, and creating a water element (fountain) in the square, and planting trees along the street.

Targeted (peri-)urban areas:

Urban green space connected to grey infrastructure

Good practice characteristics:

Support multifunctional NBS

Sustainable in the long-term

Locally appropriate

Inclusivity

Governance

Government body/bodies

Initiating body:

Municipality of Lisbon

Instrument design:

Details about how the instrument was designed:

The program is designed based on the successful experience of Avenida Duque d'Ávila's requalification and aims to replicate this experience in almost 30 new squares in every neighborhood. The project was initiated from a bottom-up approach and promotes community agreement to set priorities and get citizens involved in the design process. The instrument's design emerged from the collaboration of the Municipality of Lisbon (CML) - Division of Urban Projects and Studies - with the close cooperation of the Presidents of the Juntas de Freguesia (neighborhood authorities), intending to create neighborhood plazas by transforming under-used streets and spaces. In 2014, the cooperative instrument was embraced in the Lisbon Regional Action Plan 2014-2020 and in the Regional Smart Specialization Strategy (RIS3).

Involvement of non-governmental actors:

Citizens or community groups / NGOs

Type of actor involvement:

Co-planning or co-design of instrument (e.g. boards, advisory role)

Civil society consultation through e.g. workshops, surveys

Instrument implementation:

Type of involvement:

The involvement of public participation in the co-planning was through a citizen science approach. The citizens were asked to specify different priorities on the desired experience of the new common public space. The outcomes of these consultations oriented the physical design of the square. The instrument encouraged the use of the place-making toolkit published by PPS (Project for Public Spaces) in the planning process of each neighborhood intervention. The methodology of classification of the centralities focuses on access & linkages, sociability, comfort & image, and lastly, the uses & activities. The inclusive consultations promoted by the instrument also involved meetings with internal and external entities and community members. The 30 priority squares were concluded by the municipal council and were adopted later at the district level after close cooperation with the Presidents of the Juntas de Freguesia. The joint strategic objectives of these spaces were to guarantee access for all residents to quality public space within walking distance of 15 minutes. The cooperative instrument implementation in the "Rua de Campolide" was based on the public's demand to create better pedestrian accessibility. In the public participation phase, the neighborhood representatives focused on improving the inclusivity of the space (circulation of the elderly in wheelchairs and creating a playground for children) and increasing green areas by planting more trees and creating an element of water.

Type of non-governmental actors involved:

Citizen councils or consultation for co-planning (e.g. workshops, surveys)

Citizen science

Targeted actors:

Public sector institution (e.g. school or hospital)

Citizens or community groups (CBOs), NGOs

Financing

Sources of funding:

Public local authority’s budget

EU Funds, LX – Europa 2020 program

Budget:

100 000 € 500 000€

Details about instrument financing:

No information was able to be found on the overall budget of the 30 interventions under the cooperative instrument for public spaces. However, the typical financing sources come from the municipal budget, based on a stable financial situation of the city, allowing total co-funding capacity. Moreover, the continuity of the strategies implementation from various EU funding projects under the LX – Europa 2020 program and the PEDULx strategy funded by the Lisbon Regional Operational Program 2014/2020 also contributed to the instrument implementation under axis 3.

Monitoring, evaluation and impacts

Is a monitoring framework in place?:

Did an evaluation take place?:

Achieved outcomes and impacts:

The collective instrument impact covered environmental and socio-cultural aspects, including significantly increasing green space areas, enhancing social justice and cohesion, improving access to urban green space, and strengthening health and wellbeing. While no overarching figures for the 30 interventions under the cooperative instrument were able to be identified, the "Rua de Campolide" serves as an example - having created 21340 m2 of public common space and planted 80 new trees.

Success factors and lessons learned:

The city of Lisbon had significant strides in enhancing the quality of life of its citizens and enhancing the role of sport and physical activity at the urban level. The public leverage on the city’s transformation represents a vital aspect of the successful implementation. The program is co-designed with a rigorous understanding of environmental protection and restoration using nature-based solutions. The transparency of the municipal budget was decided through participatory budget voting. Lastly, the city's governance structure provided legitimacy to the interventions, as stakeholders on the streets, neighborhoods, municipal and regional levels were taken into consideration.

Sources and further information

Further documents

Documents:

Uma_praca_em_cada_bairro_apresentacao.pdf

Weblinks:

https://una.city/nbs/lisboa/square-each-neighbourhood-street-campolide

https://informacoeseservicos.lisboa.pt/servicos/informacao-de-obras?tx_obras_obr…

https://www.pps.org/

https://www.pacteproject.com/lisbon/

https://www.lisboa.pt/

Photos

@A.Corleone