Porto, July 24, 2026 (Lusa) - The city council in Portugal's second city, Porto, announced on Friday the creation of a working group comprising several specialist architects «dedicated to safeguarding the quality of life, integrating policies and fostering innovation» in the area designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
According to a press release sent to newsrooms today, Porto city council acknowledges that it is facing «a critical situation regarding the current management of Porto's Historic Centre, as well as vulnerabilities of various kinds», and is «taking urgent and structural measures to strengthen it».
«To this end, it has brought together specialist architects, creating a working group exclusively dedicated to safeguarding the living environment, policy integration and innovation within the World Heritage-listed area. The aim is to overcome threats and risks in areas such as urban development and tourism pressures,» it states.
According to the council, «strengthening the management plan includes coordinating responsibilities at municipal level, integrating responsibilities within the cultural heritage sphere, bolstering the technical and human resources of the Historic Centre Management Office to ensure close ties with the local area and the community, as well as potentially recommending legislative changes to the Government».
«The creation of the group responds to the need identified as early as 2021 in the Management and Monitoring Plan for the Historic Centre of Porto, a World Heritage Site, to ‘create a robust management system capable of dealing with unpredictability'.» According to the council led by Pedro Duarte (PSD/CDS-PP/IL), the working group aims to achieve greater «conflict management capacity» and «active investment in the creation of a pool of qualified human resources», with «a firm commitment to preservation, policy integration, innovation and agility in management».
Teresa Ferreira takes on the role of executive secretary of the group, which also includes Rui Loza, João Rapagão, Susana Bettencourt and Nuno Valentim who, according to the council, «bring to the group their experience in the preservation, management and integration of policies in Porto's Historic Centre and will have specific advisory objectives to present recommendations to the government, promoting greater proximity, presence, operational efficiency and a multidisciplinary approach».
Also involved in the group will be «the local authority's departments for Urban Planning, Heritage and Social Cohesion, as well as observers or support staff, ensuring the necessary technical and institutional coordination in the preparation of the proposals to be submitted» «Work began at the start of July and the first conclusions are expected before the end of the summer,» the council concludes.
On 12 July, the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) asked Porto for «urgent clarification» regarding various construction projects in the city's historic centre, particularly in the area designated as a World Heritage Site by the National Commission of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).
«Icomos Portugal, as part of its mission, has asked the Porto city council for urgent clarification regarding the reported works, specifically whether they were approved and on what grounds. If they were not approved, what steps have been taken in terms of supervision and enforcement,» announced the NGO dedicated to the conservation, protection and enhancement of monuments, complexes and sites.
Lusa asked Icomos Portugal about the alteration and extension works that the Diocese of Porto recently began at the Major Seminary of Nossa Senhora da Conceição, next to the Sé Cathedral, which have sparked some controversy amongst residents of the Historic Centre; however, there are further interventions in this area that have generated debate, such as the demolition of the interior of the Confeitaria Serrana.
The council has already filed an infringement notice regarding the demolition, with Pedro Duarte stating that the operation caused «surprise, indignation and astonishment» amongst council staff.
JE/AYLS // AYLS
Lusa
