Last updated: August 2024
The pilot project in Bairro Padre Cruz, Carnide, Lisbon, is a groundbreaking initiative aimed at enhancing women's safety in public spaces and improving access to public transport. Launched in June 2024, this project stems from extensive consultations with local women to address their specific security concerns (Ref1). It involves strategic interventions like better lighting and the relocation of bus stops to safer areas, ensuring a more secure environment for women (Ref4). A key element of the project is the greening of the area through tree planting and the creation of more harmonised public spaces, contributing to a more pleasant and welcoming neighbourhood (Ref2). Funded by the Recovery and Resilience Plan (RRP), this initiative aims to foster greater inclusivity and safety in urban design, with completion expected by 2025 (Ref4).
Padre Cruz Street Greening
LLP
Overview
Nature-based solution
- Grey infrastructure featuring greens
- Alley or street trees and other street vegetation
Key challenges
- Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
- Green space creation and/or management
- Regeneration, land-use and urban development
- Regulation of built environment
- Promote natural styles of landscape design for urban development
- Social justice, cohesion and equity (SDG 10)
- Social justice and equity
Principal problems in Functional Urban Area (FUA)
- Health, Well-being and Social cohesion
- Insecurity in public spaces
Key priorities
Social Justice and community
Focus
Creation of new green areas, Creation of any other green urban spaces
Project objectives
-Improved sense of safety: The primary goal of the intervention is to enhance women's safety. The project seeks to address the specific safety concerns of women, particularly in their use of public transport and while navigating public spaces. This includes reducing the risk of harassment and creating a more secure environment (Ref1, Ref4).
- Improved accessibility: improving accessibility with a particular focus on women, children, the elderly, and people with disabilities. This involves improving sidewalks and pedestrian crossings and ensuring that public spaces are more navigable and comfortable (Ref1, Ref4).
- Increase green space area: greening and harmonising public spaces by planting trees and adding greenery (Ref2, Ref4).
- Enhance road safety: reducing traffic speeds and enhancing pedestrian safety. (Ref1, Ref4).
Implementation activities
1. Installation of Accessible Crosswalks: Implementing crosswalks that are easier for all residents to use, particularly those with mobility challenges (Ref1).
2. Improvement of Sidewalks: Renovating sidewalks with more comfortable and accessible paving, making them safer and easier to navigate (Ref1).
3. Speed Reduction Measures: Introducing measures to slow down traffic, ensuring pedestrian safety and reducing the risk of accidents (Ref1, Ref4).
4. Increased Lighting: Enhancing street lighting, especially around bus stops and pedestrian areas, to improve safety and visibility at night (Ref1, Ref4).
5. Relocation of Bus Stops: Moving bus stops to more central, visible, and safer locations, away from dark and isolated areas (Ref4).
6. Greening of Public Spaces: Planting trees and adding vegetation to create a more pleasant and humanized environment (Ref2, Ref4).
7. Community Consultation and Participation: Engaging with local women and community organizations to gather input and address specific safety and accessibility concerns (Ref1, Ref4).
Communities vulnerable to environmental hazards or climate change impacts
Yes
Specification of climate or environmentally vulnerable communities
Low-income neighborhoods
Main beneficiaries
- Citizens or community groups
- Marginalized groups: Children, young people or youth groups , Elderly people, Women, People with functional diversities
Governance
Management set-up
- Co-governance with government and non-government actors
Type of initiating organisation
- Local government/municipality
- Citizens or community group
Participatory approaches/ community involvement
- Co-planning (e.g. stakeholder workshops, focus groups, participatory mapping)
- Deliberative decision-making processes (e.g., consensus building, deliberative polling)
- Consultation (e.g. workshop, surveys, community meetings, town halls)
Details on the roles of the organisations involved in the project
The project is co-organised and engages the local neighbourhood institutions, Lisbon city council and local citizens. (Ref 1)
Project implemented in response to ...
... an EU policy or strategy?
Unknown
(The project was in line with the Lisbon Pedestrian Accessibility Plan. (Ref 1))
... a national policy or strategy?
No
... a local policy or strategy?
Yes
(The project was in line with the Lisbon Pedestrian Accessibility Plan. (Ref 1))
Type of enablers
Capacity-building projects
Financing
Total cost
€500,000 - €2,000,000
Source(s) of funding
- Public local authority budget
- EU funds
Type of funding
- Earmarked public budget
- Direct funding (grants, subsidies, or self-financed projects by private entities)
Non-financial contribution
Unknown
Impacts and Monitoring
Environmental impacts
- Green space and habitat
- Increased green space area
- Expected increased green space area
- Increased number of species present
- Expected increased number of species present
Economic impacts
- Unknown
Socio-cultural impacts
- Social justice and cohesion
- Improved liveability
- Expected improved liveability
- Improved access to urban green space
- Expected improved access to urban green space
- Health and wellbeing
- Improved mental health
- Expected improved mental health
- Safety
- Increased perception of safety
- Expected increased perception of safety
Type of reported impacts
Presence of formal monitoring system
Unknown
Presence of indicators used in reporting
No evidence in public records
Presence of monitoring/ evaluation reports
No evidence in public records
Availability of a web-based monitoring tool
No evidence in public records
Potential risks of implementation and trade-offs
Unknown
References
1.
Lisbon Municipality (2024). More security in public spaces in the Padre Cruz neighborhood. Lisbon: Accessed on August 14, 2024, [Source link];
2.
Atelier Mob (2024). Pilot Project in the Padre Cruz Neighbourhood. Accessed on August 14, 2024, [Source link];
3.
Atelier Mob (2024). 100% implementation of the European Social Fund program. Accessed on August 14, 2024, [Source link];
4.
LPP (2024). CML refurbishes public space in Bairro Padre Cruz with a focus on women. Accessed on August 14, 2024, [Source link];
5.
USE (n.d.). Improving safety, mobility and access for women and girls.. Accessed on August 14, 2024, [Source link];
Architectural Plans for Padre Cruz
TC99%/CML
Information about this nature-based solution was collected as part of the Naturescapes project funded by the European Union under Grant Agreement No 101084341.