A description of the current state of affairs in Portugal in respect to the issues of heritage preservation and urban remodeling or "rehabilitation".

1. It is possible to demolish a 17th-century
Chapel just because is not listed.
The new State Heritage Institution
Direcção Geral do Património
• • We are now in a kind of twilight
zone waiting to understand what the
new State Institution under the
Direction of Elísio Summavielle ( the
ex State Secretary of Culture) will do
…
• • What we know for sure is that
het took out the Candidature List of
Monuments 964 building candidates
saying that after a year if the State was
not able to formalize officially their
value ( which in reality they have,
otherwise they will not be candidates)
they will be dropped until the end of
the year …
• • In the meanwhile only 215 are
officially “waiting” …. But 567
procedures have not been concluded
…

2. “This” is Called ‘Urban
Rehabilitation’

3. It is still possible to destroy this …
to build “that”

4. Just Finished … and the City Hall is
proud of “This” and calls it ‘Urban
Rehabilitation’

5. The same attitude in the 18th-
century Baixa Pombalina
The city Hall is allowing the destruction of the Pombalino
Interiors and the18th-century wooden frame “Gaiola”,
and allowing the use of concrete or Zink for building
Mansardes, stimulating the building of underground
garages … but the City Hall keeps on saying that it still
wants to candidate the ‘Baixa’ to World Heritage.

6. The effects and impact of International
Heritage Organisations. The pressure effect.
• The Icomos Rapport
“exploded” right on the face of
the Government authorities,
putting an Ultimatum : Barrage
or World Heritage Status.
• The Energy Company tried to
solve the problem by “pulling
a new Rabbit out the Hat”.
• They asked a famous architect
to “camouflage” the Dam.
• But, it is not about a single
moment of “Magic” or “Art” . It
is about serious, planned,
systematic managing of the
Cultural Landscape in short,
medium and long term.