“The Vale de Chelas will become a new green oasis in the city. We are focused on environmental and landscape rehabilitation and improving degraded neighborhoods, as well as enhancing natural and built heritage,” stated Carlos Moedas, the Mayor of Lisbon, in a statement. The mayor further noted that with the construction of the new Hospital de Todos os Santos and the third Tagus River crossing in this area, “a new centrality” will be created in the city.
In a private meeting of the municipal executive, the proposal for creating the Áreas de Reabilitação Urbana (ARU) of Vale de Chelas, endorsed by the Urbanism Councilor Joana Almeida (an independent elected through the “New Times” coalition—PSD/CDS-PP/MPT/PPM/Aliança), was approved. The proposal faced opposition from the Citizens for Lisbon group (elected by the PS/Livre coalition) and BE, received abstention from Livre, and was supported by PSD/CDS-PP, PS, and PCP, as confirmed by an official source from the municipality.
This proposal now awaits approval from the Lisbon Municipal Assembly.
According to the document, the delineation of the ARU, with subsequent approval of a systematic Urban Rehabilitation Operation, “is crucial for integrated rehabilitation and urban and environmental regeneration of this area.” It allows access to fiscal and financial incentives, making the investment context more appealing for both public and private urban rehabilitation processes.
Covering approximately 194 hectares, the Vale de Chelas in the Beato parish is one of five valleys identified as “priority intervention areas” under the “5 Vales” program, positioned as “a territory of opportunities” with investment prospects including the quadruple expansion of the Linha de Cintura railway.
“After Vale da Almirante Reis and Vale de Santo António, we continue building a greener city,” Carlos Moedas commented following the proposal’s approval.
In the proposal presented, the Urbanism Councilor notes that the Vale de Chelas area “continues to suffer from localized mobility issues and connections with the surrounding urban fabric.”
To transform the area and “promote its regeneration and integration into the city’s qualified continuum,” the council aims to revitalize public spaces, rehabilitate vacant or degraded municipal housing, and increase accessible housing options.
The Lisbon municipality also intends to complete inter-slope connections, enhance classic and public transportation mobility networks, establish a soft mobility network, and restore the area’s environmental balance through the completion of the “eastern green corridor.”
Justifying their opposition, the Citizens for Lisbon group argued that Vale de Chelas does not need an ARU, “which essentially provides tax breaks and waivers for private investment in an area already under significant urban pressure.” They noted that beyond changes along the waterfront, this area is set to host “major projects” like the Hospital de Todos os Santos and the third crossing.
“This area instead needs an urbanization plan that organizes the territory and creates an overarching vision, ensuring social balance and sustainability in this part of Lisbon,” they argued in a statement.
Currently, Lisbon’s executive, composed of 17 members, includes seven elected from the “New Times” coalition (PSD/CDS-PP/MPT/PPM/Aliança)—the only ones with allocated portfolios and governing without an absolute majority—three from the PS, two from the PCP, three from the Citizens for Lisbon (elected by the PS/Livre coalition), one from Livre, and one from BE.
