Case Studies  The Lisbon Castle parish and the urban regeneration process

3. Socio- economic development of the Castle parish

The elimination of the military base in the 1940s was translated into action and crucial changes within the income level of the castle neighbourhood population inducing a new economic reality.

Local people possessed neither the means nor characteristics to react on their own or to face in a flexible way that new economic and social challenge, called tourism.

At this time, as mentioned above, a divergent development of both parts of the parish increased and continues up to today.

Therefore, there were in the beginning of the 1995 intervention around 700 inhabitants and 392 dwellings, 20% being vacant. (Annex 2)

Around 87% of the real estate was rented. Only the remaining percentage was in use by the owner. (Annex 3)

The castle neighbourhood at this time had around 12 premises, including retail trade, gastronomic facilities, workshops and public and private institutions devoted to social and cultural activities (Sports Association, Travel/ Discovery association). (Annex 4)

A primary school just built in the 1970s was one of these facilities. Unfortunately, it only had 10 pupils in 1995.

At the same time, public baths (shower rooms, toilets) offset the lack of fittings within the houses and the population inevitably got used to this not very comfortable way of life.

Those premises and public services provided at least the bare essentials for the local population.

As a curiosity of contemporary metropolitan life, travelling fresh food sellers, appearing at certain days and hours during the week, complete commercial activity.

The reduced number of retail trade facilities was addressed to the local population, not making much of a profit from the nearby tourist trade.

The castle neighbourhood has neither been touched by the economic development of the growing 20 th century metropolis, nor expected to benefit from the parallel dynamics of new central services and areas.

In recent times, population decrease has marked the area. Young people have moved out to go in search of better living conditions and to be gainfully employed. The financially very weak, elderly social stratum remains, making up the tenants of the deprived urban area. (Annexes 5/6)

However, successive generations of families have lived there with a limited income and low social status, which leads to strengthened social ties, although that factor does not promote well balanced economic growth within the neighbourhood.

With regard to qualifications and education, 10.9% of the resident population are illiterate, 41.9% only finished elementary school. 38% reached the 6 th , 9 th and 12 th classes. Only 9.2% attended a training college or university.

(Annex 7)

This situation is reflected within the professional categories. (Annex 8)

Currently, there is no data available on unemployment or place of work. Neither is it possible to analyse the daily movements of the population.

Nevertheless, taking into consideration the above-mentioned qualification level and the lack of functions within the neighbourhood that could keep people occupied, we can conclude that there is no significant local anchored economic acceleration.

There is insufficient access, opportunity, and interest, legal and financial means to produce an economic surge in the residential part of the castle parish.

Apart from those problems there is another, strongly influencing the situation.

Rents were frozen in 1975, producing the current national renting and housing policies and permitting a financially weak population to remain in their social habitat by paying low rents. On the other hand, those political decisions did not enable owners to undertake any preservation works or to increase the value of their property. (Annexes 9/10)

In 1985, however, new legislation allowed for a rent increase due to an annual rising coefficient. That, nevertheless, did not induce the real up dating of rent values within current valid leases.

Nonetheless, in the case of extraordinary legal up dating, the new legislation laid down a rent allowance. That special kind of subsidy has rarely been used up to today, only regarding the above-mentioned case or extreme cases of severe tenant disability.

Those reasons may bring to light the contradictions and difficulties within urban conservation issues, together with the legal duty of the owners to undertake conservation work every 8 years, but not guaranteeing the appropriate financial means.

Finally, the physical constraints of the castle neighbourhood and its protected urban morphology (listed by IPPAR, the Portuguese Institute of Architectural Heritage) do not make it easier to make more space available, even with the diminished population. To provide the place with new and different functions and activities means increasing the capacity to act with tremendous creativity and improvisation.

Therefore a very determined kind of intervention is inevitable.

2. History and decline of the Castle parish    4. The Urban Regeneration Proces