What the raised crossings will look like.

Viver Alta de Lisboa talks about raised crossings and their effectiveness in slowing down traffic. Having visited the construction site of one of nearly finished points I was suitably impressed. Not only will they slow traffic but they lend an air of urban dignity and modern planning to the area. The following shot is of the planned buildings in malha 16 (between Condominios da Torre and Eixo Central) where the walkway will continue. I must say the raised crossing looks very pedestrian friendly and brings the urban furniture up to standards we expected when many of us bought property here.

As a footnote, the buildings look fairly stylish too, let’s just hope SGAL can finish them properly. (unlike some parts of CT)

13 seconds of Vandalism

The problem of vandalism in Alta has been touched upon by others and sometimes the problem attracts some controversy. The other day there was a party in the social centre and kids after the event were throwing stones at other children, the building and the lights. I suggested on another blog that events such as these (where there are lots of teenagers present) that there is some form of police presence to act as a deterrent to vandals and violence. Their presence need not be overstated or even that obvious, just that it should be there.

Here is a quick demonstration of what has happened in the last three years in our building. It is a sad sight and seeing money being poured into hiding this from potential new customers of other buildings (hence the white boarding around Parque Oeste) instead of policing and fixing the work of unruly kids is painful.

Without further ado, here is the video.

I should add that all of these pictures are from ONE building in Alta de Lisboa (namely 15.5 in Cond Torre)

Condomínios Da Torre

In the future heart of Alta de Lisboa lies Condominios da Torre. 4 U-shaped buildings and an L-shaped building one block back from the future Eixo Central. The L-shaped building looks over the end of Estrada da Torre (or the old Azinhaga de Musgueira). The North side of the condominiums looks over Avenida David Mourao Ferreira (currently the closest road to Parque Oeste’s southern edge).

Cond. Torre sat image

There are approximately 180 flats per u-shaped building. Each building has a private garden (except 15. 2 (L-shaped — the garden is public) and 15.1 — social housing) which provides refuge from the city.

Garden of the Blue tower in Cond. Torre
There are very few buildings in Lisbon which offer such value for money terms of quality of life and space per flat.
While it is true that the social housing building has more or less the same characteristics as the private buildings, the flats inside are very different. There are a few problems with one or two families in the social housing block such as excessive noise, leaving litter in the otherwise perfect Alameda da Musica. But these are points that are relatively easily overlooked. ( However, I will, some day, get to the point of calling the police when I see a group of lazy people picnicking and leaving litter (including nappies), however for now I’m willing to turn a blind eye and hope they learn from their neighbours.)

Alameda da Musica

In terms of commerce the whole condo is quite new so there is still fairly little. I am sure that once they have built Malha 6 (the exclusive condo to the North of C.T.), more commerce will come.
However amongst the commerce to be noted is:

Farmacia Alto do Lumiar (Alameda de Musica — in L- shaped building)

Pastelaria Meia Lua On Rua Tomas del Negro

Casa Fruty A grocery on Rua Helena Vaz de Silva (the main shopping street in 2006 /7)

Kodak Express Photo shop Rua Helena Vaz de Silva

Pastelaria MilenioRua Helena Vaz de Silva

There is also a decoration shop and a Chinese thrifty store.

Other features are:

Parque Oeste ( Parque Vale Grande)

K Cidade Community centre (social help)

Extension of the health centre

Primary School

And the club centre for the football team Aguias de Musgueira.

So all in all, considering the buildings were only finished about 1 & 1/2 years ago I’d say that they are a storming success. Nevertheless, it would appear that people here have a very strong awareness of status and apparently sales have not been strong in our buildings (one building is social housing). We felt slightly cheated when we moved as we had been told that the social housing was from a building that had had to be demolished elsewhere in Lisbon (not from the local shanty town from which they really came ). That said, however, I know of no particular problems whatsoever and it would appear that only one or two families cause difficulties.

I will later post on the old neighbourhood that formed the roots of Alta de Lisboa. First … back to the new buildings there.

The Architect

The architect responsible for CT is Frederico Valsassina. A highly admired local architect who has many very interesting projects under his belt.
I am overjoyed with my house as it is a triumph of clever architecture. There are 180 flats in my condominuim, yet it feels that only I only ever see a few neighbours (I am friends with some of them), we have a private garden that is never overused (though used by many) and my flat is never more than 27ºC or less than 20ºC. I rarely use heating and we have no air conditioning.

The People
One of the best things about coming here for me has been the sense of community. In my 8 years prior to living here (in Alta) I’d never had any real or pleasant contact with neighbours.
I am now comfortable enough with my neighbours to ask for sugar, salt, lemons, coffee and even rum! I have also invited (and been invited) to dinner. Furthermore, I never feel as if anyone is watching me (one major problem in many areas of Old Lisbon).

As you may be able to tell I am very happy living where I do. Every time I visit the historic Chiado or Janelas Verdes or Lapa, for that matter, I am filled with envy for those living in those unique beautiful houses. Then I remember (without trying to remember) all the amazing things I have mentioned above.
We will not be moving for a while… trust me.

EDIT Some colleagues told me there are only two 3 bedroom flats left to sell. (sales are doing better now)

Link to some more of my photos from flickr albums