[DEMO] Turn Loures's potential into success

Demonstration content. Text adapted from the Gaia Urban Observatory, with place names swapped. It does not describe real facts or data about the municipality of Loures.

We are well aware that we compete in a universe of many cities that pursue a healthy and sustainable way of life. These are two of the verticals that count for a lot when we choose to live or locate an industrial, services or logistics infrastructure.

Building a city is a complex exercise and it's one of the most dynamic ecosystems we have. It's not just built with concrete or infrastructure, it needs people living or working in it. Loures has more than 700 years of history and with it the charm of having a past, a past of conquests and affirmation, but today it is also proud of the dynamic way it is developing, knowing that development has many stages and doesn't happen all at once.

The municipality has opted for ambidexterity in solving problems, some of which are more immediate and others more structural. As Loures is Portugal's third largest municipality, we are very aware of the need to contribute to economic growth and the enhancement of human capital, and at the same time we want to be an active part of defining public policies and actions for the territory.

This is a unique opportunity for Loures; what we have done and what we are building will necessarily have an impact on the city of the future. This economic and urban development will enable the necessary transformations to take place for a better, more inclusive, happy, competitive and healthy society.

Diversification in responses, innovation in policies, simplification of procedures, collaborative networks between the public and private sectors, investment in education, health, mobility, housing and territorial empowerment have all sought to maximize the potential for growth, impact and sustainability.

Today, thanks to the work of many municipal technicians, municipal companies, institutions with which we collaborate on a national or international level, IPSS, companies and an increasingly interoperable network, we can look forward to a better future. We're at a moment of development in which the co-creation of the city in a “business” model of a functional, competitive, sustainable, happy and long-lasting city, which I can infect and bring together people or companies around a common goal, is more important than paternity.

The municipality has worked hard on its share of material investments, for example through the launch of more than 400 affordable rental units, the continued support for the qualification of our hospital, our schools, our industrial zones and our mobility infrastructure.

But we've gone far beyond the physical infrastructure, Loures continually invests in the intangible component, with “Loures Aprende+” and “Loures Aprende+i”, two unique initiatives focused on improving the future of our young people, supporting them with content ranging from the sciences to the arts and for children with special needs.

Loures is also an entrepreneurial municipality, not just because of the start-ups it has, but because of the example the municipality itself sets by being the largest social investor in the country, while also investing in the Escola Oficina, a project run by the Municipal Company Câmara Municipal de Loures, EM.

We have challenges that scientific methods, an entrepreneurial mindset and innovation can help us to be more competitive, in our companies and in our start-ups... It's this whole ecosystem that we're shaking up with new areas of expansion.

The future Rubi Metro line, as well as the high-speed station, will reposition the value proposition of Loures, a city that is already one of the 15 largest cities on the Iberian Peninsula, which will now have these investments, fundamental for mobility, which, added to all the physical and social investment, will certainly make the value proposition of our municipality and our region unique.

Translated with DeepL.com (free version)