According to architect António Batista Coelho many cities in Portugal, Lisbon among them, were not thought out to meet the needs of the elderly and are lacking in the likes of good paving, protection from vehicles, crossings, and limited speed zones.
“Older people need ideal conditions to move around, and that ‘ideal’ is not something from another planet. It’s reasonable paving, some protection from vehicles, with crash barriers, well-painted crossings, and areas with speeds limited to 20 or 30 [km/h]” the head of Beja Interior University’s architecture department said.
His comments were made ahead of International Day of Older Persons, which was held on 1 October and which this year follows the theme of sustainable and inclusive urban environments.
This is to be followed up by a third conference on Sustainable Urban Development and Habitation, to be held next year by the United Nations.
Speaking to Lusa News Agency António Batista Coelho said that, generally speaking, the city of Lisbon is not designed or equipped for older people.
“It is essential that the city should be structured or restructured based on pedestrians, which means creating neighbourhoods where the pedestrian feels better or the best possible and where there is continuity throughout the areas so, if the pedestrian wants, they can move with some degree of confidence and convenience “, argued the former coordinator of the National Laboratory of Civil Engineering’s urban architecture wing.