New model proposed to protect informal settlements in Europe

A new model is being proposed in Europe to protect informal settlements.

Report informs that Tarcyla Fidalgo Ribeiro, a representative of Catalytic Communities, said this at an event titled "Community-Led Housing in Europe – Tools for Cities Beyond Market Opportunities," held as part of the 13th session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13).

Ribeiro compared Latin American experience with the current situation in Europe and drew attention to a specific example in Portugal:

"I am from Latin America and, of course, this is something we have to deal with every day in our work as urban planning specialists. But in Europe, this is perhaps an issue that may surprise us. The experience of the Cova da Moura community, located in the Lisbon metropolitan area, is really very interesting. Now they are looking for ways to formalize the land, which is something very new in Europe. Thus, the community understands that obtaining individual property title documents will not protect them, but, on the contrary, will facilitate displacement processes caused by real estate."

She said that, under the planned model, the land will be kept outside the commercial market permanently, while individual ownership of homes will be preserved: "The idea is to ensure that the land belongs to the community and that this land remains outside the market forever. The homes will remain individually owned, and people will be able to sell or rent out their homes. However, the increase in land value resulting from the community and collective struggle will not be taken into account. Community Land Trusts are a very well-known solution in Europe. We have similar examples in Belgium, France and Germany. What is new here is that there is also an opportunity to work with this model in informal settlements in Europe. Cova da Moura is not the only such settlement, so we need to discuss this topic in greater depth."