Public Administrations in the promotion of sustainable cities in Portugal

Abstract

This paper aims to address the issue of how Portuguese public administrations begin to implement sustainability in their cities. Some of the aspects that are accentuated are the increase in the population living in urban areas and the decrease in those who opt for rural areas. Rethinking the design of cities favors urban governance, turning this technique into a tool that encourages citizen participation through a wide variety of initiatives that arise from innovation. It is in this geographical area where some of the dilemmas that arise in relation to this intention to change cities arise, which includes: the shortage of housing, social differences, how digitalization affects especially vulnerable groups such as the elderly. This does not neglect, in fact, it walks hand in hand, the role of the State in ensuring the preservation of the general interest, as indicated in its own constitutional text. It is in this framework that we are going to try to outline some of the solutions that the new concept of the city offers, without neglecting the advances and the needs that the Portuguese people demand as a society.