Um novo século, um recorrente, recomposto e desafiante problema habitacional portuense

The article “Um novo século, um recorrente, recomposto e desafiante problema habitacional portuense” is a feature published by Domus Social, a Portuguese non‑profit focused on social housing research and advocacy. It is authored by Professor Virgílio Borges Pereira, a sociologist at the University of Porto, recognised for his work on urban sociology and housing policy. The piece accompanies the commemorative book “20 anos a fazer do Porto casa”, highlighting the evolution of social housing in Porto over more than a century.

Porto’s rapid industrialisation from the late‑19th century created dense, overcrowded medieval quarters and informal “islands” (ilhas) of low‑quality dwellings, often less than 16 m². By the early 20th century, around 50 000 residents lived in such conditions, yet only a few hundred social‑housing units had been built. Early state interventions, such as the 1933 “Programa de Casas Económicas”, provided limited relief, primarily benefiting middle‑income families.

The 1956 “Plano de Melhoramentos para a Cidade do Porto” marked a major municipal effort, delivering over 6 000 collective‑housing units across ten neighbourhoods and relocating roughly 30 000 residents from the islands. A second phase added about 3 000 more units, of which just over half were completed. These developments introduced multi‑storey blocks (up to four floors) that improved living standards for a substantial portion of the city’s working class.

From the 1980s onward, cooperative housing became a significant driver of new construction, resulting in more than 4 000 homes in districts such as Aldoar, Ramalde and Paranhos. While not exclusively for the most vulnerable, these cooperatives expanded the stock of affordable dwellings and demonstrated a community‑led model of sustainability.

In the 1990s, the Programa Especial de Realojamento (PER) aimed to replace illegal “barracas” and islands with 1 356 new units. Despite these efforts, the city still faces a substantial housing deficit: over 7 000 island‑type apartments remain, housing more than 9 000 residents, with roughly one‑third living in poverty. Current estimates indicate that at least 15 % of Porto’s population resides in social housing, distributed across 39 municipal neighbourhoods with more than 12 000 units and housing over 40 000 people. Poverty affects about 44 % of residents in these areas.

Porto’s experience illustrates the long‑term impact of mixed public‑private strategies, cooperative models and targeted relocation programmes on urban sustainability. The city’s shift from ad‑hoc, densely packed islands to planned collective housing reduced spatial inefficiencies and provided a framework for integrating social equity into sustainable urban development. Data from municipal studies underscore the importance of scaling affordable, energy‑efficient housing to address both environmental and social goals across European cities.