Socio-ethnic segregation and sustainable urban city planning in Lisbon

Dissertação apresentada para cumprimento dos requisitos necessários à obtenção do grau de Mestre em Ecologia Humana e Problemas Sociais Contemporâneos

In this dissertation the concepts of sustainable city development and socio-ethnic segregation have been linked to determine what role ‘diversity’ and mixed neighbourhoods play in the achievement of sustainable cities. Segregation can be seen as a natural development (as mentioned by Chicago School) that cannot and should not be disturbed by the local government, but it can also be considered as a social problem that requires specific policies to stop the negative consequences caused by segregation. One of the aspects of sustainable city development, namely ‘diversity’ has been explored and the policy that connects to that sustainable goal, namely the policy of mixing. A discussion on the effectiveness of this policy on decreasing levels of segregation and on increasing social capital follows. The chapter on socio-ethnic segregation in Portugal has provided an example of the influence of the government on the creation of segregation and how local governments can also work on solutions. A case study of a segregated neighbourhood in Lisbon, the Bairro da Boavista, shows how the segregated neighbourhoods in Lisbon emerged and what the local government has done to improve their living situation. A data analyses of the Boavista neighbourhood has been made in order to determine how segregated its residents live