“We are committed to building 4,000 affordable and controlled rent homes during this term, with 40% of them in the interior and south of Gaia, to combat depopulation in these areas,” stated today Luis Filipe Menezes during his candidacy announcement at a hotel near Cais de Gaia.
The former Gaiense mayor (1997-2013) declared that, if elected again, Gaia will “seriously invest in housing” utilizing the entire amount of 180 million euros provided by the government for Vila Nova de Gaia.
“We will also approach the Minister of Infrastructure to request a bit more because we deserve it. We are the country’s third-largest city,” he emphasized.
Supported by PSD, CDS-PP, and IL, the candidate also promised to focus on “youth and young couples,” starting in 2026, with “600 scholarships for higher education students,” in a model similar to Oeiras, and the development of “modern residential university campuses” in the city center.
Regarding mobility, Menezes expressed strong disapproval of the “failed and unacceptable current model that frustrates Gaiense residents,” referring to the Unir bus network, and announced plans to “study a viable alternative,” potentially creating a mixed capital company in partnership with private operators to address “the current situation where thousands of residents lack road transport.”
The former PSD president also mentioned that, within the first week of his term, he would restore unrestricted vehicular access to the lower deck of the Luis I Bridge (currently limited to night-time) in collaboration with Porto and would implement two automobile lanes along Avenida da República.
Simultaneously, as he plans to restore automobile space in the city, he proposed implementing the 15-minute city concept, as done by socialist Anne Hidalgo in Paris. This concept involves restricting car use, favoring pedestrian and soft-mode mobility (which now surpasses cars in central Paris), and ensuring proximity to shops and services.
“The city can offer, within a 10/15 minute distance to every citizen, everything needed for a quality life: sports, health, culture, commerce, services,” he illustrated, launching an experimental project in the historic center and another in an interior parish.
At the start of his speech, he recalled the multiple Douro river crossings project initiated during his previous term, arguing for its “rationality” and promising to revisit it with his potential Porto counterpart.
In the cultural arena, Menezes pledged to hold the Marés Vivas festival in the municipality’s interior and “gradually develop” the creation of a symphony orchestra.
With regard to transparency, he proposed restoring digital access to urban planning processes and suggested ‘online’ broadcasting of Municipal Assembly sessions and carrying out “external audits by credible entities on municipal services and companies regularly.”
“No one votes based on past achievements,” he remarked at the beginning of his speech before a full auditorium, which, in his opinion, proved that his candidacy “wasn’t madness,” concluding that the three months leading to the elections “will be tough.”
Currently known candidates for the Gaia City Hall include João Paulo Correia for the PS, André Araújo for the CDU, Luís Filipe Menezes for PSD/CDS-PP/IL, and Daniel Gaio for Volt.
The municipal executive consists of 11 positions, with the PS holding nine and the PSD two.
The municipal elections are scheduled for October 12.
