Anyone passing in front of D. Filipa de Lencastre Secondary School, located in the Arco do Cego neighborhood, will encounter a large pedestrian patio, surrounded by narrow streets that require low speeds. But it wasn't always like this. Before, this school in Areeiro was surrounded by asphalt and wide streets, where the automobile was superior to the pedestrian.
On Santos ao Rego Neighborhoodin Entrecampos, a large pedestrian patio will be built, similar to the one at D. Filipa de Lencastre High School. The work - handed over to the Avenidas Novas Parish Council by Lisbon City Hall within the scope of a delegation of powers - will requalify the Nuno Gonçalves Squarewhere the Arnaldo Louro de Almeida Elementary School. The parking lot and a small street that existed in front of the school will disappear in order to increase pedestrian space and safety in the area.
The project was developed by José Adrião's architecture studio and is intended, according to the descriptive memory, which can be downloaded below, "increase pedestrian area at the expense of road mobility area" e "establishing a public square identity". The area in front of the school will be substantially enlarged by eliminating the existing road islands; there will be 14 longitudinal parking spaces and a single road axis will be defined, which will go around the square, which will have an elliptical shape similar to the original. Will be planted new trees to create more shade, the street furniture and lighting will be upgraded, and it is planned to install a kiosk.
The pedestrian circulation areas near the buildings facing the square will be increased, "in order to improve the comfort and safety conditions for pedestrians, notably by reducing the length of roadway crossings". The project also foresees comfortable sidewalk, combined with sidewalk, the elimination of barriers to pedestrian circulation, the creation of new crosswalks, and the lowering of the sidewalks where the street crosses.
The space to be intervened has an area of about 3200 m2. This upgrade is part of the municipal program Safe School 100%, which aims "promote safety in schools and surrounding areas" - through the promotion of safe and comfortable pedestrian space, the creation of fruition and leisure areas, and the diversification of accessibility modes to schools, so that children can move around without a car.
According to the descriptive memory, Nuno Gonçalves Square was once a square "landscaped with flowerbeds and interior pathways". "Resulting from the growth of the country's motorization rate, traffic pressure changed the morphology of the square transforming it into a tangle of road channels, leaving for people remnants of the old design. In the leftover space, next to the school wall, taking advantage of the shade of the existing zambujeiros, benches and tables were installed, used for hanging out and socializing."
