The Parque Cidades do Tejo proposes a transformation of the Lisbon metropolitan area, articulated in four major axes - Arco Ribeirinho Sul, Ocean Campus, Humberto Delgado Airport and Cidade Aeroportuária - and with direct intervention in eight municipalities: Almada, Barreiro, Seixal, Lisbon, Oeiras, Loures, Montijo and Benavente.
In October 2024, at the 42nd PSD Congress, Luís Montenegro announced a “major rehabilitation project for the Lisbon metropolitan area”, aiming to “build a vibrant and homogeneous metropolis” on both banks of the Tagus River, This would reduce the current contrasts between the two sides. As President of the PSD - but confusing himself as Prime Minister - Montenegro revealed his intention to create a public company to streamline public procurement and other bureaucracies, as was done at the time of Expo’98.
This public company now has a name: it will be called Parque Cidades do Tejo, S.A. and will be a company owned 100% by the State. Tagus Cities Park is also the name of the urban regeneration mega-project promised by Montenegro and which intends to transform the Lisbon metropolitan area, in particular four major axes: the Arco Ribeirinho Sul, between Almada, Seixal and Barreiro; the Ocean Campus, between Oeiras and Lisbon; the Humberto Delgado Airport, between Lisbon and Loures; and the Airport City, between Montijo and Benavente., a municipality that, despite no longer belonging to the metropolitan area, will gain a new direct relationship with it with the new Lisbon Airport (Luís de Camões Airport).
The Parque Cidades do Tejo project was presented, in general terms, to the 18 municipalities of the Lisbon Metropolitan Area (AML) and the Benavente City Council at the end of March, at a meeting held at the AML headquarters and chaired by the Prime Minister, and attended by the Minister of State and Finance, Joaquim Miranda Sarmento, the Deputy Minister for Territorial Cohesion, Manuel Castro Almeida, and the Minister for Infrastructure and Housing, Miguel Pinto Luz.
New project, old ideas
O Tagus Cities Park is nothing more than a compilation and update of a series of investments that had already been announced - some since the time of José Sócrates - but which now appear integrated into a more comprehensive and clearer strategy. While the Arco Ribeirinho Sul and the Ocean Campus aren't exactly new (the former is from 2009 and the latter from 2021), there are two new developments: one is the Port City that is being proposed for the Benavente-Montijo axis, in the context of the new Lisbon Airport; another is the proposal for the land at the current Humberto Delgado Airport, which will become available.
Like Parque Expo, S.A. - company set up in 1993 to build, operate and dismantle Expo’98 -, the constitution of Parque Cidades do Tejo, S.A. will make it possible to streamline processes and bureaucracy. This public company will have an initial budget of 26.5 million euros and will operate on a management model based on the central state and the eight municipalities it will cover: Almada, Barreiro, Seixal, Lisboa, Oeiras, Loures and Montijo and also Benavente.
A Parque Cidades do Tejo, S.A. will ensure the implementation of the Parque Cidades do Tejo, the mega-project that aims to transform the Lisbon metropolitan area. “in a large metropolis where the river acts as a link between territories rather than separating them”, the government's statement reads. “There are two banks centered on the Tagus and four nationwide projects that will result in a single, centrally coordinated operation, in cooperation with the Central State and the municipalities directly involved.”
In all, there are 4.5 thousand hectares of urban intervention area and infrastructures, the “equivalent to 55 times Parque Expo”, says Luís Montenegro's government, which plans to build more than 25,000 homes. “The four axes - Arco Ribeirinho Sul, Ocean Campus, Humberto Delgado Airport and Cidade Aeroportuária - requalify and regenerate territories, foster networked cities and promote the circular economy, housing, employment and increased public transport by strengthening infrastructures. Public land on the banks of the Tagus, which has been totally unused for many years, is given use, life and a future.”
The Tagus Cities Park includes residential, leisure, research and cultural spaces, such as the Tagus Opera House, an international congress center and the Airport City. In terms of infrastructure, two new crossings of the Tagus are planned: the Third Crossing of the Tagus (TTT) and the Algés-Trafaria Tunnel; a unique, expandable airport with capacity for more than 100 million passengers and investment in high-speed rail.
The project also includes 1.1 million m2 for equipment e 2.5 million m2 economic activities, without taking into account the Airport City area. It is estimated that these investments will create more than 200,000 jobs.
Four lines of action
Arco Ribeirinho Sul axis
O Arco Ribeirinho Sul axis, The project, which brings together Almada, Seixal and Barreiro, foresees an intervention in an area of 519 hectares and along 15 kilometers of riverfront, with more than 28 new homes (in total, considering the current PDM and a prospective exercise), 800 thousand m2 of equipment, 2.3 million m2 destined for the tertiary sector/economic activities, and the creation of 94,000 jobs. In Almada, This is achieved through the rehabilitation of the Lisnave shipyards, The project involves 58 hectares of intervention which, in addition to the construction of housing, commerce and services, will include the creation of facilities that preserve the ship's industrial memory and that are cultural in nature - for example, the creation of an Opera Tejo in this area is envisioned.
On Seixalin the former Siderurgia Nacional, It is proposed to feed the tertiary sector with an Ecological Business Park and also areas for recreational and leisure activities. In Barreiro, 214 hectares of the former Quimiparque, The proposal is a cluster of economic activities linked to the shipbuilding industry, an international congress center, and also an area with housing, commerce, services, green spaces and tourist exploitation.
Ocean Campus
On Ocean Campus axis, involving the municipalities of Oeiras e Lisbon, It is proposed to set up an innovation, research and development cluster linked to the maritime sector, as well as the Algés Urban Park, The Ocean Campus will have the capacity to host major events such as the NOS Alive festival. This Ocean Campus will revitalize the entire seafront between Doca de Pedrouços, where the Hub do Mar is already under construction, and Cruz Quebrada, involving an intervention area of 90 hectares. It is proposed that 180 thousand m2 for the tertiary sector and 181 thousand m2 for equipment, and 15,000 jobs are expected to be created.
Humberto Delgado Airport Axis
On Humberto Delgado Airport axis, which covers Lisbon e Loures, The proposal involves redeveloping the entire area that will be left vacant by the airport exit. They are more than 400 hectares of intervention area, where more than 9,800 houses are proposed (in total, considering the current PDM and a prospective exercise), as well as 119 thousand m2 of equipment and 559 thousand m2 for the tertiary sector/economic activities.
Benavente-Montijo axis
On Benavente-Montijo axis, The proposal is to create a new airport, which extends beyond the Lisbon metropolitan area, linking it to the neighboring municipality of Benavente, where the new Lisbon Airport will be located. Airport City, It will also focus on science and the nautical industry, rehabilitating more than 3,000 hectares. This new “city” will be 30 minutes from Lisbon, with a direct connection via the high-speed railroad and the main roads to the north and south.
In transport
The Parque Cidades do Tejo also foresees a significant expansion of public transport networks. In the Lisbon Metro, more than 30 kilometers of new lines and 35 stations are planned, in an investment already underway of 1,524 million euros, which is estimated to generate 46 million new passengers a year. In LIOS, There are 24 kilometers of line and 37 new stations, with an investment of around 490 million euros. In Oeiras, the SATUO, The project, currently in the pre-concert phase, proposes 9 kilometers of line and 14 stations, for an investment of 112 million euros.
On the south bank, the Metro Sul do Tejo is scheduled to expand to the west and east, with a total of 50 additional kilometers of lines and, in the case of the westward expansion, an investment of 350 million euros. O river transport also gains momentum in this mega-project of the Tagus Cities: new routes and terminals are planned, In addition, the company is continuing to renovate its fleet and charging systems, with an investment of 96 million euros, plus a further 14 million for the modernization of existing terminals.
Added to all this are the two new crossings over the Tagus: the Chelas-Barreiro TTT, with an estimated investment of 3 billion euros, and the Algés-Trafaria Tunnel, valued at 1.5 billion. Finally, the Lisbon-Madrid high-speed rail line, whose second phase - the Lisbon-Evora section - involves an investment of 2.8 billion euros.
The aim is to increase the modal share of public transport from 24% to 35%, In order to achieve this, it will be important to increase investment by a further 3.8 billion euros in this sector - with support for public transport and fare policy expected to amount to 328 million euros/year.
A 50-year project
More than a quarter of the country's total population lives in the Lisbon metropolitan area - 28% of the national population and 48% of the working population. This is also where an increase of 7% inhabitants is expected by 2080. The Parque Cidades do Tejo is a 50-year urban planning project for this entire region, launching it into the future. The realization of this plan will involve a public investment of more than 15 billion euros, calculation that excludes “all the investment in infrastructure such as the high-speed network” but which integrates the new Luís de Camões Airport - as you indicated to RTP the Minister for Housing and Infrastructure, Miguel Pinto Luz.
“The Parque Cidades do Tejo - interconnected in four axes - thus aims to balance urban density and implement public housing policies”, said the government in its press release. “At the same time, it reduces the time spent between home and work and creates qualified employment by strengthening infrastructure, increasing the transport network and promoting modal transfer, benefiting the quality of life of those who live or work in this region.”
