A critical perspective on policies for informal settlements in Portugal

Abstract

While informal settlements in Portugal are not a recent phenomenon, planning and housing policy responses and results have been inconsistent. In 2012, the Amadora Municipality, within the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, resurrected the PER (Special Rehousing Programme), which was first launched in 1993 to remove informal settlements and rehouse inhabitants. This paper offers a critical analysis of the objectives, practices and results of the programme in Amadora and, particularly, regarding Bairro 6 de Maio, where most people were evicted without being relocated. It will discuss how informal settlement policies have been applied in Portugal over the past century and assess the New National Housing Policy, showing that integrated, effective policies regarding informal settlements are still lacking. The findings will suggest a change of the approach in addressing the phenomenon in order to guarantee the right to housing and to the city for inhabitants.