{"id":37879,"date":"2020-12-19T08:00:31","date_gmt":"2020-12-19T07:00:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ecobnb.com\/blog\/?p=37879"},"modified":"2022-04-26T08:49:57","modified_gmt":"2022-04-26T06:49:57","slug":"lisbon-beyond-inner-city-interview-luis-mendes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ecobnb.com\/blog\/2020\/12\/lisbon-beyond-inner-city-interview-luis-mendes\/","title":{"rendered":"Go beyond the Inner City in Lisbon, Interview with the Geographer Luis Mendes"},"content":{"rendered":"

How can you travel sustainably in Lisbon? The secret is to go beyond the inner city. Let’s meet the Portuguese Geographer Luis Mendes who will give us some sustainable tips to explore Lisbon\u00a0away from mass tourism.<\/h2>\n
\"Luis
Luis Mendes, the Geographer expert about Gentrification and Touristification.\u00a0Go beyond the Inner City. Photo by\u00a0jornaltornado.pt<\/div><\/div>\n

Hi Luis, Could you introduce yourself?<\/h3>\n

I am a Portuguese geographer<\/strong>\u00a0at the Centre for Geographical Studies of\u00a0the Institute of\u00a0Geography and Spatial Planning<\/strong> of the Universidade de Lisboa<\/strong>. Additionally, I am an activist<\/strong> in the social movement<\/strong>\u00a0Morar em Lisboa. My motto is “go beyond the inner city”.<\/p>\n

I have worked in Morar em Lisboa\u00a0<\/strong><\/a>for about four years now. I joined this movement from the very beginning. As a geographer, I am also a specialist in gentrification<\/strong>. I studied gentrification for around 20 years, since the end of my graduation, back in early 2000, in particular tourism gentrification<\/strong>. I am also on the board of an association which is a part of Morar em Lisboa. Last week I took part in a very important virtual assembly of inhabitants. It was an assembly with more than 800 collectives and associations from more than 45 countries in the world. We spoke about the right to housing<\/strong>\u00a0granted by the United Nations.<\/p>\n

\"Morar
Morar em Lisboa, Social Movement.\u00a0Go beyond the Inner City. Photo by moraremlisboa.org<\/div><\/div>\n

Could you tell us more about Morar em Lisboa? What do you do there?<\/h3>\n

Morar em Lisboa<\/strong> is a big social movement<\/strong> that was born at the end of 2016. It is a movement with more than 60 associations<\/strong>, collectives, all kinds of organizations that defend the right to housing<\/strong>. At the core of the coordination of the movement, we are around 12 organizations. We are a significant social movement<\/strong> with a lot of representation and legitimacy; for instance, we are recognized by\u00a0national <\/strong>and international media.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

We have been doing a very important job of putting the right to housing on the public agenda<\/strong> and also on the political agenda of Portugal.<\/strong> We support students<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0researchers<\/strong>\u00a0who work for us.\u00a0Our main goal is to debate<\/strong> with civil society, and also with political representation. We make a connection<\/strong> between the citizenship democracy and our politicians.<\/p>\n

Why did you decide to join this movement?<\/h3>\n

I was invited<\/strong> after the masterclass that I did in April 2016 in the Urban Design Lab<\/strong> called Stadslab<\/strong> from the Netherlands<\/strong> and citizenship Academy<\/strong>, which is an activist organization. I was invited to supervise scientifically the master class. After that, the mentor of Morar em Lisboa<\/strong> thought to create a platform from the masterclass to let the association moving. Afterwards, we gathered a lot of associations and we gathered this social movement. I always took part in social <\/strong>and activist movements<\/strong>,\u00a0even in the student associations in my faculty. I have worked on the board of several associations. For me, it was a pleasure taking part in Morar em Lisboa<\/strong>, because it really gave me the opportunity to understand how social movement works<\/strong>, that is quite different from an association.<\/p>\n

What does sustainability mean to you?<\/h3>\n

Sustainability<\/strong>\u00a0is the opportunity<\/strong> and the duty<\/strong> of the present generations<\/strong> to have a moderated, conscious, and rational consumption of natural resources<\/strong> and any kind of resources without putting in danger the future generations.<\/strong>\u00a0So, this is the classic definition of sustainability. But for me now the Triple Bottom Line view of sustainability<\/strong> is very important. It considers economic<\/strong>, environmental,<\/strong> and social aspects<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

I am deeply worried nowadays not just about environmental sustainability<\/strong>, but also about the social sustainability<\/strong> of touristic places, like Lisbon. Social sustainability is an essential feature because if you lose the population<\/strong> of these neighbourhoods, you will lose their\u00a0identity<\/strong>. That is how I see sustainability, and especially social sustainability in the inner city, which is the capability of maintaining the social life<\/strong>, the activities, and services of these neighborhoods.<\/p>\n

What does sustainable tourism mean to you?<\/h3>\n

For me, it is a modus operandi<\/strong> of doing tourism with no excessive consumption of resources<\/strong> as water, land and all kinds of natural resources<\/strong>. Moreover,\u00a0human factors<\/strong> are essential, for instance, the protection of the local population<\/strong> and the cultural heritage<\/strong> of that place. I would say that sustainable tourism is the is capacity of receptivity of a destination without exploring human and natural resources.<\/p>\n

\"Lisbon.
Lisbon. Photo via Canva<\/div><\/div>\n

Could you give any advice to Ecobnb travellers about how to travel more sustainably in Lisbon?<\/h3>\n

I would say to travel with critical thinking<\/strong> about the way of own consumption habits. Avoid the main mass tourism<\/strong> industry channels<\/strong>. For example, when you stay in the accommodation, try to understand<\/strong> where this place comes from. Ask some questions<\/strong> to the person that welcome you, understand if any\u00a0families <\/strong>were displaced<\/strong> in the neighbourhoods. I think it is important to be very critical about what you do.<\/p>\n

Try to be environmentally conscious<\/strong><\/a>, try\u00a0not to consume too much<\/strong> merchandise<\/strong>, try to be moderated in the consumption of water<\/strong>, be cautious with the production of garbage<\/strong> and waste<\/strong>. We should be aware of our behaviour<\/strong>, the impact<\/strong> we have on the community. If we are in the residential area, we should behave correctly, as do not make noise after a certain hour.<\/p>\n

\"Photo
Photo via Canva<\/div><\/div>\n

Could you tell us some areas away from mass tourism that Ecobnb travellers could explore in Lisbon?<\/h3>\n

There are certain services and organizations in Lisbon that promote sustainable tourism and they offer different experiences<\/strong>.\u00a0\u201cLisbon Sustainable Tourism<\/a>\u201d offers a\u00a0Responsible Walking Tour<\/strong> allowing travellers to learn<\/strong> about Lisbon<\/strong> and its people<\/strong> while contributing to social project<\/strong>. The money<\/strong> from the tours goes into community programs<\/strong>. Also, they give tips on how to travel responsibly<\/strong> and how to support local businesses. Its end results are a lot of smiles.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cWe hate tourism tours<\/a>\u201d during its tours teaches travellers how to travel responsibly<\/strong> and how to travel to become a better person<\/strong>. Part of the tours\u2019 income is used to give back <\/strong>to the local community<\/strong>\u00a0and to do things better for the local people.<\/p>\n

To avoid mass tourism<\/strong>, you need to choose the accommodation not\u00a0located in the Inner City<\/strong>.\u00a0For example, I suggest you stay in Cascais<\/strong>, Sintra<\/strong>, Almada<\/strong>, Barreiro<\/strong>, Marvila<\/strong>. Avoid staying in places located in the metropolitan area of Lisbon. To do sustainable tourism you need to decentralize<\/strong>, you need to go beyond the inner city<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\"Photo
Photo via Canva<\/div><\/div>\n

Watch the documentary YOU\u2019LL SOON BE HERE\u00a0<\/a>and explore Lisbon<\/strong>\u00a0in a sustainable way!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

How can you travel sustainably in Lisbon? The secret is to go beyond the inner city. Let’s meet the Portuguese Geographer Luis Mendes who will give us some sustainable tips to explore Lisbon\u00a0away from mass tourism. Hi Luis, Could you introduce yourself? I am a Portuguese geographer\u00a0at the Centre for Geographical Studies of\u00a0the Institute of\u00a0Geography […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":142,"featured_media":37891,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[214,4],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nGo beyond the Inner City in Lisbon interview to Luis Mendes - Ecobnb<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"How can you travel sustainably in Lisbon? Go beyond the inner city. 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