Antwerp, Boston and Lisbon, the 2020 Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize Special Mentions, created innovative strategies to overcome difficult pasts and become successful, forward-looking cities. We look at how their ideas help improve housing, citizen participation and climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts.
Lisbon has tapped on civic engagement and partnerships with the private sector for its resurgence in the past decade, after financial crises in the 2000s and early 2010s took its toll on the city. In 2008, it was the first European capital to adopt participatory budgeting11, allocating about five percent of its municipal budget for citizens’ proposals. Between 2008 and 2018, citizens suggested over 6,000 projects, of which nearly 2,100 were put to a public vote. The city invested over 36 million Euros12 (approximately 36 million USD) in 139 feasible and popular projects that have rejuvenated and enlivened districts and neighbourhoods. For example, the initiative helped to turn the Mouraria Quarter from a dangerous area of drugs and prostitution into a vibrant and diverse district, with a Creative Hub for workshops, classes, and residents’ projects. To make the participatory budgeting process more inclusive, the city hosts workshops, Participation Assemblies, and polling stations to avoid excluding those without access to phones, computers or the internet. Since 2019, it has also sharpened the initiative’s focus to sustainability-related projects to support the urgent need for climate change mitigation and adaptation. One ongoing project is installing bicycle repair stations13 in all of the city’s 24 districts to promote cycling. Lisbon has also partnered with private developers on an Affordable Rent Programme14 that aims to build 6,000 high quality homes for middle-income households. These will have rents not exceeding one-third of the households’ income. Under the programme, the city provides prime land for developers to design, build and rent homes, of which at least 65 per cent must be affordable housing. The partnerships typically last 30 years, after which the city recovers the land and takes over the buildings. With this arrangement, the city can tap on the private sector’s resources to build more affordable homes. The developers get to use prime land for free, and do not have to apply for construction permits, among other benefits. In July 2022, the city gave the keys to the first 128 homes to families who are paying, on average, 70 per cent less in rent than they would pay in the open market15.
In May 2022, the government held its first Citizens’ Council16 event to further boost civic participation. Under the new initiative, it hosts conferences on various themes and selects 50 volunteers, who represent the city’s population in terms of age, gender, educational level, professional status and home district, to attend each one. The participants discuss ideas and develop proposals. The inaugural event17 was on combating climate change, and the attendees came up with 35 suggestions, including introducing sustainability competitions in schools. Lisbon Mayor Carlos Moedas, who opened the event and took part in it, pledged that the government will work with the participants on their proposals. He explained18 the need for the initiative: “With the Citizens’ Council, we will have more participatory decisions, and therefore better decisions, more adapted to people’s needs. We want change in Lisbon to come from the people.”
This article was first published in 8 September 2022 on the Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize website. All images contained within this page are used with license and shall not be copied, modified, or reproduced.
1. https://www.agvespa.be/
2. https://www.agvespa.be/projecten/fierensblokken#over
3. https://www.sigmaplan.be/en/projects/the-scheldt-quays-in-antwerp/
4. https://www.agvespa.be/projecten/nieuw-zuid#over
5. https://www.bluegateantwerp.eu/hp-rewrite/494344643a9b1d855ab9a77721318b02
6. https://www.boston.gov/civic-engagement/imagine-boston-2030
7. https://www.boston.gov/environment-and-energy/resilient-boston-harbor
8. https://www.boston.gov/news/now-open-langone-park-and-puopolo-playground-north-end
9. https://www.boston.gov/news/langone-parkpuopolo-playground-project-wins-2021-green-steps-award
10. https://www.boston.gov/environment-and-energy/heat-resilience-solutions-boston
11. https://www.centreforpublicimpact.org/case-study/green-participatory-budgeting-lisbon-portugal
12. https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/15/8243/htm
13. https://op.lisboaparticipa.pt/projetos/6088dfbd18d09100a9616e1f
14. http://www.lisboarendaacessivel.pt/en/business-model.html
15. https://www.idealista.pt/news/imobiliario/habitacao/2022/07/26/53302-arrendamento-acessivel-foram-entregues-128-casas-em-lisboa
16. https://cidadania.lisboa.pt/participacao/conselho-de-cidadaos
17. https://www.publico.pt/2022/05/16/local/noticia/conselho-cidadaos-lisboa-quer-reduzir-80-entrada-carros-ate-2048-fim-casas-devolutas-2006331
18. https://www.dn.pt/local/conselho-de-cidadaos-estreia-se-em-maio-com-discussao-sobre-as-alteracoes-climaticas--14771158.html