Renovar a Mouraria I 6th April I 21h30 FREE ENTRANCE What is happening to the Historic Centre of Lisbon? The climb in population loss over the last 3 years has led the four chairpersons of the parish councils to take a public position. Under 10 thousand inhabitants, the parishes will lose significant performance power. And we, citizens, what are we willing to do? With the tourism excuse, the city is selled with a cheap price, hotels, hostels and apartments for temporary accommodation arise, it is ensured an income of 4% in the luxury investments, places that give identity to the city are destroyed, rehabilitation is only made according to the tourism, tenants are evicted, there is speculation with prices and it becomes impossible to housing. We, at the Citizenship Academy and at Renovar a Mouraria want to continue reflecting and contributing for citizens to take an attitude. Are you coming too?

Gathering I How to promote sustainable tourism in Lisbon?

Date: 19 march Time: 11h30-15h Pressing issues mark the present days and it’s very important that we all know what they are about and how can we contribute to solve them. We know there are a lot of people that have good ideas and realize what gaps there are in our society. Here at Citizenship Academy (CA) we want to give people tools and help them to take action. We would also like to introduce more people to the CA.  We are looking for students and other interested citizens in taking part in projects that want to improve democratic society. The main goal of what we do is to empower citizens to take more action in the defense and exercise of their rights and democratic values and to be more conscious about what is happening in society. This workshop will be also a fun way to open your eyes and make […]

Workshop: Empower » Change

Produced by Catarina Leal in her Master’s degree developed in Anthropology, Cidade Guiada documents one of the biggest problems currently encountered in the historic centre of Lisbon: gentrification by tourism. Phenomenon long observed in cities such as Barcelona, Berlin or London, gentrification is an urban symptom which mainly affects the most vulnerable populations inhabiting cities. Tourism is one of the key features adopted to boost the economy in neighbourhoods such as Graça, Alfama and Mouraria. With an increasingly industry sustained on foreign population, Portuguese neighbourhoods are revaluated and rehabilitated every day. Already with a few former residents, from the buildings only facades are left.   Cidade Guiada still poses an increasingly relevant question: how to redevelop a neighbourhood or a city that serves the people and not the tourists?   The film projection will be followed by a debate with the presence of director Catarina Leal, Joana Jacinto, promoter of […]

FREE CINEMA: “Cidade Guiada” (“Guided City”) I Cine Café Touristification

[article written by Leonor Duarte, within the Cine Café Turistificação: Alto Bairro (Turistification: High Neighbourhood)]   Yesterday, at Lisboa Vadia, the lisboners could assist to the film “Alto Bairro” and to discuss the gentrification and turistification of Bairro Alto. We noticed, with some annoyance, how this neighbourhood has been losing the life that distinguishes it, mostly its daytime life, whether because of local shops, shops from other fields, as fashion, bookstores, among others, that close, or because former residents who leave. These are the factors that show how Bairro Alto is being a victim of a phenomenon that is being talked about around, which is gentrification. And the debate was so zippy, that it was difficult to finish.   There are some people that think that the Bairro has become an amusement park, a big open air bar and that people who go there to have fun, they forget or […]

Bairro Alto: a city is much more than an amusement park

 April 15 – 22 I Mouraria, Lisbon   The project “Tourism Gentrification and City-making” is promoted by Stadslab (Fontys – University of Applied Sciences, Tilburg, NL), in partnership with Academia Cidadã.   The objectives of the Master Class are: – to provide insight into the impact of mass tourism on public space, urban development and the daily urban life of the citizens in Lisbon; – to develop alternative scenarios for a more balanced urban development to avoid excessive real estate speculation, social and economic segregation, lack of accessible urban services and public space and disappearance of affordable housing. The intervention area of the Master Class will be the district of Mouraria.   For more information and application, please enter here.

Master Class “Tourism Gentrification and City-making”

  The Documentary of this week: “One for the river” (2015) The goal of this Cine Café is to activate discussion, consciousness, knowledge and spread information about the topic of this month’s environmental legislations that comes with TTIP. What is TTIP? TTIP (Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership), like other trade agreements, is being negotiated largely in secret. It aims to “harmonise” EU and U.S. standards across an array of industries. It challenges laws that protect the environment, rein in corporate interests, protect food safety, promote renewable energy and curb risky practices like fracking. TTIP can limit the capacity of public authorities to decide on how to provide public services like water. What’s worse, TTIP will lock in changes by granting rights to companies that undermine local laws, and will force us to either spend precious public money fighting big business or change our laws to comply with its desires — […]

CINEMA FOR FREE: One for the river | Transatlantic Cine Café

“Vitória, Vitória Vitória!” Those were the words that were being shouted by the masses of ecstatic people in front of the Portuguese Republic Assembly (São Bento Palace, Lisbon), after the new left wing coalition – the majority in the parliament, after the recent elections – rejected the old right wing government. When we arrived at 15.00 there was already a good amount of people, estimating at 1500 to 2000, with the beautiful sun shining on everyone’s happy faces. While we were all waiting election, live music was shifting the crowd’s mood. The demonstrators were singing songs, waving their banners and placards and shouting slogans, such as: “The people united will never be defeated”, “The 25th of April forever, fascism for never more” and “We only want the left wing in power”. Somehow those feelings were very contagious, without really knowing what exactly was going on, we cheered on with the […]

“Vitória”

15th December, at 21h30 @ Lisboa Vadia (Rua de S. Mamede 33A, Lisbon) The goal of this Cine Café is to activate discussion, consciousness, knowledge and spread information about the topic of this month is ISDS (Investor-State Dispute Settlement), that comes with TTIP.   The Documentary: “TTIP Might is Right” (2015) event   Synopsis The proposed free trade agreement between the US and Europe (TTIP) causes concern about the European right to self-determination. The most controversial part of TTIP is ISDS: investor-state dispute settlement. ISDS will make it possible for companies to sue governments that damage their investments. But is this arbitrage system where a few investment lawyers decide over billions of taxpayers money a protection of our business interests, or a threat to our democracy?   What is TTIP? TTIP (Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership), like other trade agreements, is being negotiated largely in secret. It aims to “harmonise” […]

FREE CINEMA: TTIP Might is Right | Transatlantic Cine Café

In 2014, Pakhuis de Zwijger (cultural organization in the city of Amsterdam) came up with the idea of Metropolitan Field Trips. Cities are constantly in change, new initiatives arise and try to answer to several question on how to become city-owners and how to participate in their evolution. During the Field Trips, on the biggest european cities, the participants learn about diverse approaches on base initiative and about the relation between bottom-up city makers, planning agents, local government and other institutions. Field Trips have, therefore, as a goal a better understanding of the whole process of transition and they are an opportunity to exchange knowledge between partners in Europe. The program started at 4 p.m on the 8th, with the meeting point for the welcoming at Holzmarkt. Holzmarkt is located in an old abandoned area at the Spree waterfront. It was destined to be sold as part of the project […]

The Citizenship Academy in a transitional Berlin

For all citizens | Free entrance 17th November, at 21h30 Lisboa Vadia (Rua de S. Mamede 33A, Lisbon) FB event The goal of this Cine Café is to activate discussion, consciousness, knowledge and spread information about the topic of this month’s water privatisation that comes with TTIP. TTIP (Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership), like other trade agreements, is being negotiated largely in secret. It aims to “harmonise” EU and U.S. standards across an array of industries. It challenges laws that protect the environment, rein in corporate interests, protect food safety, promote renewable energy and curb risky practices like fracking. TTIP can limit the capacity of public authorities to decide on how to provide public services like water. What’s worse, TTIP will lock in changes by granting rights to companies that undermine local laws, and will force us to either spend precious public money fighting big business or change our laws […]

Free cinema: documentary FLOW | Transatlantic Cine-Café