Quality of Life and City Government - Critical Analysis of Quality of Life and Structures of Governance of the City of Lisbon

Quality of Life and City Government - Critical Analysis of Quality of Life and Structures of Governance of the City of Lisbon

It is rather paradoxical the present situation of the city of Lisbon. In a city (and its metropolis) with strong potentialities in terms of its positioning, structure and capitals, in times when one assists to the consolidation of a new paradigm of socio-economic development where the cities reinforce their role as central players; it remains, however, a quite important weight of disillusion and difficulties in the embed of the vitalities and potentialities of the Portuguese capital.

It is already widely recognized that a significant part of the problematic inherent to this paradox, stands in the structures and models of government and governance installed in the city. These structures show considerable disconnections with the urban rhythms and needs; lack of integrated strategic enforcement; lack of a more active or even pro-active planning culture; a severe financial exhaustion; an installed public organizational de-motivation; a considerable distance with the citizen's aims, needs and expressions. The sedimentation - both at the political and the social levels - of the need to deeply rethink the governance models and structures in the city, gave origin to this project.

There will be developed several methodological approaches, to integrate in the overall project objective: an urban diagnosis; an auscultation to the political key-actors; an inquiry to the citizens as well as to the users of the city. Consequently, there will be developed analysis, principles and scenarios for the future political and administrative restructuring of the city. All the project's work will be developed through a strong base and constant connection with the main scientific debates currently occurring in the socio-political and urban arenas, namely: urban governance, local administration, citizenship, strategic planning, social and spatial perceptions, quality of life, sustainability, urban dynamics.

Main project phases:

1. Urban diagnoses of Lisbon. The City-system: The contemporary Lisbon - State-of-the-art, Challenges and potentialities. The positioning of Lisbon in its different scales: local / neighbourhood, municipal, metropolitan, national, international. The new challenges of the city.

2. Enquiries to the perception of the quality of life and of the quality of government and governance. Enquiries to residents and to users of the city. Perceptions and perspectives, symbolic and cognitive capitals, social capital and socio-cultural structures. The metropolitan, municipal and the local scales. Interviews and stratified enquiries to key-actors of the political municipal system in Lisbon. Critical analysis.

3. Integrated conclusions: State-of-the-art of Lisbon and its governance structures, gaps between the city-system and the city's governance system. Political, institutional, organizational and administrative structures. Spatial configurations for the local government and administration. Competences, resources and responsibilities.

4. Development of scenarios and proposals for discussion. Global lines for the city's spatial, institutional and political competence structures. Global lines for the municipal decentralization project.

Estatuto: 
Proponent entity
Financed: 
No
Entidades: 
Câmara Municipal de Lisboa
Instituto Superior de Economia e Gestão (ISEG)
Keywords: 

Quality of Life, Urban Governance, Lisbon

It is rather paradoxical the present situation of the city of Lisbon. In a city (and its metropolis) with strong potentialities in terms of its positioning, structure and capitals, in times when one assists to the consolidation of a new paradigm of socio-economic development where the cities reinforce their role as central players; it remains, however, a quite important weight of disillusion and difficulties in the embed of the vitalities and potentialities of the Portuguese capital.

It is already widely recognized that a significant part of the problematic inherent to this paradox, stands in the structures and models of government and governance installed in the city. These structures show considerable disconnections with the urban rhythms and needs; lack of integrated strategic enforcement; lack of a more active or even pro-active planning culture; a severe financial exhaustion; an installed public organizational de-motivation; a considerable distance with the citizen's aims, needs and expressions. The sedimentation - both at the political and the social levels - of the need to deeply rethink the governance models and structures in the city, gave origin to this project.

There will be developed several methodological approaches, to integrate in the overall project objective: an urban diagnosis; an auscultation to the political key-actors; an inquiry to the citizens as well as to the users of the city. Consequently, there will be developed analysis, principles and scenarios for the future political and administrative restructuring of the city. All the project's work will be developed through a strong base and constant connection with the main scientific debates currently occurring in the socio-political and urban arenas, namely: urban governance, local administration, citizenship, strategic planning, social and spatial perceptions, quality of life, sustainability, urban dynamics.

Main project phases:

1. Urban diagnoses of Lisbon. The City-system: The contemporary Lisbon - State-of-the-art, Challenges and potentialities. The positioning of Lisbon in its different scales: local / neighbourhood, municipal, metropolitan, national, international. The new challenges of the city.

2. Enquiries to the perception of the quality of life and of the quality of government and governance. Enquiries to residents and to users of the city. Perceptions and perspectives, symbolic and cognitive capitals, social capital and socio-cultural structures. The metropolitan, municipal and the local scales. Interviews and stratified enquiries to key-actors of the political municipal system in Lisbon. Critical analysis.

3. Integrated conclusions: State-of-the-art of Lisbon and its governance structures, gaps between the city-system and the city's governance system. Political, institutional, organizational and administrative structures. Spatial configurations for the local government and administration. Competences, resources and responsibilities.

4. Development of scenarios and proposals for discussion. Global lines for the city's spatial, institutional and political competence structures. Global lines for the municipal decentralization project.

Objectivos: 
<p>1. Diagnóstico Urbano de Lisboa<br /><br />2. Inquéritos à qualidade de vida e às perspectivas de governação percepcionadas pelos munícipes e pelos utentes de Lisboa + Inquéritos Estratificados a Actores-chave do Sistema de Governação da Cidade<br /><br />3. Conclusões integradas: O Estado-da-Arte de Lisboa e do seu sistema de Governação<br /><br />4. Cenários-Base, Propostas e Modelos Globais para a Governação de Lisboa. Linhas globais de competências e estruturas institucionais municipais. </p>
Parceria: 
Unintegrated
Alexandra Baixinho
Paulo Madruga
Coordenador ICS 
Referência externa 
PROJ40/2009
Start Date: 
30/11/2008
End Date: 
01/06/2012
Duração: 
43 meses
Closed