Urban rehabilitation in Porto in all districts and focusing on housing

One can really start to feel the enormous transformation that's going on in the city of Porto.

 So far, the district of Paranhos is where the largest number of rehabilitation investment has poured in. But all over the city the number of redevelopment actions has skyrocketed in the last three years. In most cases, we are looking at repair and rehabilitation of housing estates as a crucial step forward in improving city life.

A report produced by Porto City Hall in 2016 analysed the city's urban policy developments since 2012. Monitoring data has been used from the Municipal Department for Urbanism, the Supervision Municipal Department, Porto Vivo - Urban Rehabilitation Company, and the Tourist Rental License.

Redevelopments linked to urban sprawl - new-build construction and housing projects - accounted for less than 10% of the securities issued in the reference period. That is, the overwhelming majority of processes are for urban regeneration. Meanwhile, 2.299 real estate rehabilitation processes were registered.

The most compelling neighbourhoods are located in the central part of the city and on the Atlantic front of the municipality. 

Most of the urban development investments are being entrusted to private contractors and the investment volume is rising, in absolute terms and as an average value, for each urban planning.

In the downtown area and the historic centre, projects fall in the scope of Porto Vivo Urban Rehabilitation Society, and most rehabilitation operations are for housing; the hotel industry accounts for only 3% of the securities issued. Between 2012 and 2015, Porto Vivo issued 268 securities, with a gross built area of 112,528 m2. During this period there was a relatively constant increase in the number of securities issued.

Porto City Hall is undergoing rehabilitation works in more than 130 dwellings in the city centre. These infrastructures belong to the city council and the local government is investing more than four million euros in these dwellings. The entitlement to these rental apartments is based on criteria of social need such as lack of assets and low income or those that have already lived in the city centre and had been relocated to the suburbs.

These figures are noteworthy on the significant work that the municipality has been preparing with regard to the rehabilitation works for the city centre area, of which 60% is meant for housing and 23% for trade.

As far as housing is concerned, almost 500 quality housing and commercial dwellings were created in the historic centre, which represent more than 1,000 prospective residents, and more than 130 commercial premises, reversing the trend of the city historic centre being almost completely deserted in the years before the tourism boom and the current rehabilitation process.

The strategic leadership that Mayor of Porto, Rui Moreira, and his team are pursuing to regenerate and protect Porto's public spaces is having a marked impact on the quality of life of people from Porto, because urban renewal is also about the people and not solely real estate.