Porto City Hall shall invest nearly EUR 34,4 million for social and territorial cohesion in 2020

The City of Porto's budget for 2020 emphasises the priority axis of strengthening social and territorial cohesion, in the programme of the independent Mayor Rui Moreira for the city of Porto.

Most investments of and funding are highly concentrated in Social Housing neighbourhoods' renewal and building preventive maintenance. In addition, in programmes devoted to finding the adjusted solutions to the population most in need.

Besides, the coming year, an additional effort shall be made to progressively regenerate the public space regarding the social housing surrounding areas.

The budget allocates EUR 22.9 million to major rehabilitation in municipal neighbourhoods, plus the circa EUR 8.7 million for rentals of public-owned dwellings. In total, this investment is valued at 31.6 million Euros and will provide requalification works, already ongoing, at the neighbourhoods of Cerco do Porto, Falcão (buildings 10 to 15), Fernão de Magalhães, Monte da Bela, Pasteleira, São João de Deus and the beginning of the regeneration at Bom Sucesso, Ilha de Cortes and the construction of 16 dwellings in Maceda.

Regarding the existing Porto Municipal housing stock, the prevention works by the municipal company Domus Social pursue, thus avoiding the reactive building method and decreasing added costs to public works.

In 2020, works will be pursued in the neighbourhoods of Aldoar, Antas, Monte de São João, Rainha Dona Leonor (Housing grouping) and Regado.

Moreover, 2020 marks the beginning of the Local Housing Strategy by the use of the remaining stock (empty and occupied buildings) designated as "Casas do Património" ["Heritage Houses", free translation], "Casas do ex-Comissariado para a Renovação Urbana da Área Ribeira / Barredo-Centro Histórico (CRUARB-CH)" [Houses of the former Comission for the Urban Renewal of Ribeira area/ Barredo- Histirc Centre", free translation] as well as the "Casas da ex-Fundação para o Desenvolvimento da Zona Histórica do Porto (FDZHP)", ["Houses of the former Foundation for the Development of Porto Histric area", free translation], to be assigned to segments of the population, who are unable to match incumbents with the private market rentals.

Porto City Hall runs a housing stock of circa 13.000 dwellings, approximately 13% of city accommodation, and where around 30.000 people reside.

In the past six years, over EUR 100 million were allocated to improving infrastructures and the life quality to its tenants, with no support whatsoever by the Central State, who has resigned from its constitutional obligation.

It should also be mentioned that Housing, as a priority axis in the local government action programme as lowered the tax burden on its residents and implemented urban policies that foster cost-controlled housing supply.