The Parque das Nações (Portuguese pronunciation:[ˈpaɾkɨðɐʒnɐˈsõjʃ]; Park of the Nations), colloquially known as Expo (as the site of the 1998 Lisbon World Exposition), is a freguesia (civil parish) and typical quarter of Lisbon, the capital city of Portugal. Located in eastern Lisbon, Parque das Nações is to the east of Olivais, northeast of Marvila, and directly south of Lisbon's border with Loures. The population in 2021 was 22,382.[1][2][3]
Parque das Nações was the designation given to the neighborhood that emerged within the former Intervention Zone of Expo, encompassing the site where the 1998 World Expo was held as well as all areas that were under the administration of ParqueExpo, S.A. This area has since become a hub of cultural activities and a new district of the city, hosting various cultural and sporting institutions of its own.
The contemporary architecture of Parque das Nações, along with its social spaces and the entire urbanization and urban requalification project, has injected new vitality into the eastern part of Lisbon, once an industrial area until the 1990s.
Notable architectural landmarks in Parque das Nações include the striking vaults on the platforms of Gare do Oriente, designed by Santiago Calatrava, which define his architectural style. The Pavilion of Portugal, by Portuguese architect Álvaro Siza Vieira, which has an entrance featuring an imposing pre-stressed concrete canopy, based on the concept of a sheet of paper resting on two bricks, opening up the space to the city to accommodate the various events that a space of this scale hosts.
Campus de Justiça de Lisboa
The Park boasts the Knowledge Pavilion, a contemporary science and technology museum with numerous interactive exhibits. A cable car provides transportation for visitors across the former exhibition area. Additionally, noteworthy attractions include the Pavilhão Atlântico (now known as Altice Arena), the iconic Vasco da Gama Tower (the country's tallest building), the Lisbon Oceanarium (one of the world's largest aquariums), and the Church of Nossa Senhora dos Navegantes, completed in March 2014.
The Patriarchate of Lisbon established the parish of Nossa Senhora dos Navegantes within the territory of the proposed parish, distinct from the parishes of Santa Maria dos Olivais, Santo António de Moscavide, and Nossa Senhora da Purificação de Sacavém.
Oriente view
Leveraging its strategic geographical location, the Park is home to a modern marina. The Parque das Nações Marina offers 600 mooring posts for recreational boats and is equipped with infrastructure to host major nautical events, featuring an event pier and a Pier Bridge not only for cruise boats or large historical vessels but also as a support area for land events. The marina's unique setting amidst the natural reserve of the Tagus estuary lends it a distinctive charm.
The community of Parque das Nações has given rise to various entities and organizations, such as the Clube Parque das Nações and the Association of Residents and Traders of Parque das Nações, alongside numerous businesses and institutions
Oriente pedestrian tunnel
The district was laid out in 1998 as the site of the 1998 Lisbon World Exposition. Following Expo '98, the area was transformed into a modern commercial and residential district, known as the Parque das Nações (Park of the Nations).
After the International Exposition of 1998, the area assumed its current name and underwent significant transformations, including the construction of a new shopping center, an international exhibition complex, several hotels, many new offices and residential buildings, and a casino. Parque das Nações is also a perfect spot for birdwatchers, as its proximity to the Tagus Estuary allows for the observation of various bird species.
In 2004, "Oriente" was initially proposed as the designation for a prospective new freguesia within the municipality of Lisbon.
Water games in the parish
This proposed parish would have encompassed the entirety of Lisbon's Nations Park, consolidating an area previously divided among the parishes of Moscavide, Sacavém (both under the jurisdiction of the municipality of Loures), and Santa Maria dos Olivais (a parish within the municipality of Lisbon). Its northern boundary would have been delineated by the Trancão River, while the eastern boundary would have been formed by the Tagus River, the longest river in the Iberian Peninsula. To the south, its limits would have extended to Avenida Infante D. Henrique (part of the parish of Santa Maria dos Olivais), and to the west, it would have been demarcated by the Northern Railway Line, thus separating it from the parishes of Santa Maria dos Olivais, Moscavide, and Sacavém.[4]
The creation of the parish was envisaged in a bill proposed by the parliamentary groups of the PSD and CDS/PPparties, which expired with the dissolution of the Assembly of the Republic in 2004. In the subsequent legislative term, in 2005, the same bill was reintroduced by a PSD deputy and referred to the Committee on Local Government, Environment, and Territorial Planning of the Assembly of the Republic for further evaluation and discussion.
Sailing boat "Principe Perfeito" ascending the Tagus River
The bill presented statistical indicators demonstrating that the proposed parish met all the requirements for the creation of new parishes in the territory of mainland Portugal, specifically within the municipality of Lisbon, which has more stringent rules regarding parish creation.
The Residents' and Merchants' Association of Parque das Nações supported the creation of the parish, stating it was essential to maintain cohesion within the urban space inherited from Expo '98. Parties and organizations advocating for this administrative change emphasized that it would be the most rational way to manage an area like Parque das Nações, which at that time was divided among three parishes and two municipalities.
Furthermore, these organizations argued that there was a discrepancy between the fiscal reality and the administrative reality. At that time, the municipality of Loures did not administer any part of the territory of Parque das Nações – for example, it did not manage the water distribution or other municipal services – unlike the portion belonging to the municipality of Lisbon. Despite not directly participating in the administration of the Park, the Municipal Chamber of Loures received municipal taxes from it, and the population of that area voted for institutions within the municipality of Loures.
O Homem Muralha by Pedro Pires
It is worth noting that all organizations and resident groups of Parque das Nações expressed support for the creation of the parish for quite some time. Therefore, within the population directly affected by the matter, there was no divergence regarding the necessity of its establishment. The population regarded the tripartite administrative division as a legacy from the pre-Expo '98 era, outdated in light of the current reality. The creation of the new parish would simplify the administration of Parque das Nações after the area's return to municipal control, which was planned for 2009.[5]
In functional terms, the entire Parque das Nações operated, de facto, as a neighborhood of the city of Lisbon (albeit the most recent one), and its inhabitants identified themselves as such.
It is important to highlight that the area that was supposed to be withdrawn from the parish of Moscavide was never administered by it, and the area that was supposed to be withdrawn from the parish of Sacavém has not been so for several decades: until the beginning of the Expo '98 project, they were administered by the Port of Lisbon; thereafter, they had been under the administration of Parque Expo, S.A.
Seagulls are a frequent sight in the parish, here depicted near the Marina
On the other hand, such desire is generally rejected by the inhabitants of Sacavém and Moscavide (however, only those residing outside the territory of Parque das Nações).
At the level of local administration, the municipality of Loures fears losing revenue from municipal taxes paid by the inhabitants of the Parque das Nações area with the creation of the parish, as well as being deprived of more territory (already in 1998, with the secession of Odivelas to form a new municipality, the municipality of Loures was significantly reduced).
In Sacavém, the parish assembly unanimously voted on a non-binding motion unfavorable to the creation of such parish. The president of the Moscavide parish council only agrees with the creation of the parish if it were to be integrated into the municipality of Loures (this proposal does not find resonance among the population of Parque das Nações, as the Expo and the Park are developments of the city of Lisbon). Lastly, the mayor of Santa Maria dos Olivais has also publicly expressed disagreement with the possible fragmentation of territory within his parish.
One of the many docks along Tagus river, in a foggy day
All parties represented in the Municipal Assembly of Lisbon advocated for the integration of the territory earmarked for the Oriente parish into the municipality of Lisbon. However, some advocated for the integration of the same territory into the Santa Maria dos Olivais parish, which would allow for the incorporation of Parque das Nações into a single parish without creating new structures, merely adjusting the boundary of Lisbon to include the area currently belonging to the municipality of Loures.
There was also a proposal for the creation of a new municipality that would encompass Parque das Nações and the parishes of Moscavide, Santa Maria dos Olivais, and Portela. Several possible names for the new municipality were suggested, including Oriente, Vasco da Gama, and Foz do Tejo.[5]
At the time of the census carried out in 2011, an estimated 21,000 people lived in the Parque das Nações, which was shared between the Lisbon and Louresmunicipalities until November 2012. Following a request by local citizens for the municipality of Lisbon to annex the one belonging to Loures, thereby integrating the entire area within the Lisbon municipality, the area is now inside Lisbon and it is the city's most northeastern parish.
The creation of the parish of Parque das Nações resulted in an increase in the area of the municipality of Lisbon by approximately 1.87 km2, and an equivalent decrease in the area of the municipality of Loures. This was due to the transfer of territory from Loures to Lisbon, situated between the railway line and the River Tagus, and between the former boundary line of the municipalities and the River Trancão.[6]
Marina
Taking advantage of its geographical position, Parque das Nações also has a brand new marina, Marina Parque das Nações[7] featuring 600 berths and modern infrastructures, a river pier for cruises or historical vessels and an exclusive pontoon prepared to receive nautical and on land events, and a spot for bird watching as it is sited in the Tagus Estuary, one of the largest and most diverse estuaries of Europe.
Economy
Employment
Parish panorama
In the parish of Parque das Nações there are 765 residents who, as of 2021, were unemployed. Of these, 39.48% received a state-fund subsidy or pension (41.34% in Lisbon).[8] In 2021 the unemployment rate in the parish is considerably lower than the one recorded for Lisbon and for Portugal as a whole, standing at 6.98%. In the same year, Portugal as a whole had an unemployment rate of 8.13% that has progressively decreased to 6.1% in 2023. As the statistics dealing with unemployment at the parish level are available only every 10 years, the current (2023) unemployment rate in Parque das Nações is unknown.[9][10] Among youth aged 15–24 the unemployment rate in 2021 in the parish stood at 24.55%, 31.42% higher than in the rest of the country (or, equivalently, a share 5.87 percentage points higher than that found in Portugal as a whole).[11]
Parish streetview
On the other hand, in 2021 10,201 residents were employed, of which 73.02% were employees and 24.86% were independent workers.[12] The low share of people aged 20–24 employed is due to the fact that many are still in education (e.g. university) while the low proportion of those in employment aged 60–64 is due to many being early pensioners.[13]
2021 Census data
Age group
20–24
25–29
30–34
35–39
40–44
45–49
50–54
55–59
60–64
Share of people in employment
26.08%
69.89%
76.54%
79.90%
81.30%
85.30%
81.38%
72.48%
53.66%
Dealing with commuting, the residents of Parque das Nações spent 22.72 minutes of daily commuting, slightly more than the average inhabitant of Lisbon.[14]
Social conditions
Architecture in the parish
Dealing with overcrowding in the parish's households, 5.10% of the population lives in accommodations where they have less than 15 m2 per capita (8.71% for Lisbon and 5.65% in Portugal as a whole), while 47.31% live in houses with more than 40 m2 per capita (39.64% for Lisbon and 46.84% in Portugal as a whole).[15] There are 2,081.8 dwellings per km2 (3,200.5 for Lisbon and 64.9 in Portugal as a whole).[16]
63.2% of the population lives in owned dwellings as of 2021; this is higher than the value recorded for Lisbon (50.3%) but significantly lower than the one recorded for Portugal (70%).[17] The average height of a residential building in Parque das Nações is 7.2 floors as of 2021[18] and the average area of a dwelling stands at 112.45 m2 (with the average in Lisbon-city 93.07 m2 being and in Portugal 112.45 m2).[19]
Modern architecture in Parque das Nações
The average monthly rent value of leased dwellings recorded in 2021 stood at €575.26, 22.17% higher than the Lisbon average in the same year (€470.87).[20] It is nonetheless important to notice that the value of the rents is quite low because of many contracts stipulated decades ago, with 34.70% (25.34% in Lisbon) of the dwellers paying less than €150/month[21] because of the rent-freezing system that was adopted in Portugal in the late XX century, allowing that many people, now mostly elders, don't have to pay high rents.[22][23][24] Due to the housing crisis and inflation, in 2023 the average rent for new contracts (frozen contracts aren't concerned) stood in fact at almost €18/m2 in Parque das Nações, meaning that for the average 112.45 m2 dwelling are necessary around €2,024/month.[25][26][27][28][29][30][31]
Dealing with housing prices, it is interesting to remark that if the median price per m2 stood at €2,860 for a house sold in early 2016, this value had risen to €4,000/m2 in early 2021 and to €5,013/m2 in 2023, experiencing a growth of +75.28% in just 7 years. In the same period the growth of house priced per m2 in Lisbon as a whole was +117.6%, from €1,875/m2 to €4,080/m2.[32]
Of the 777 residential buildings listed in the parish, 8.62% were built before 1919, 0.90% from 1919 to 1960, 17.50% from 1961 to 1990, 27.03% from 1991 to 2000 and 45.95% after 2001. Of the buildings built before 1919 100% had 1 to 3 floors, while in buildings built between 1981 and 2010 the proportion of buildings with 6 stories or more is 81.39%. Interestingly, the newer and higher the building the higher the probability of it being served by an elevator. For homes built before 1946, 0% have access to an elevator as of 2021; this percentage ascends to 88.87% for buildings dating from 1981 to 2010.[33] Always with regard to amenities, 38.16% of the houses had access to air conditioning (20.98% in Lisbon), 78.09% to heating (69.62% in Lisbon) and 74.64% to a parking place (28.04% in Lisbon).[34][35][36]
As of 2021 there were 1,151 vacant dwelling in the parish.[37] Of the vacant dwellings, 495 are vacant for rental or with the purpose of being sold, while 656 are vacant for other reasons, often abandoned, awaiting their demolition or because a reason for conflict among heirs.[38][39][40][41][42] Moreover, as of 2023 490 apartments are registered as "Alojamento Local", meaning they have the license to be rent on platforms such as Booking.com or Airbnb.[43][44]
In the parish there were no records of homeless people.[45][dubious – discuss] The parish is nonetheless actively promoting initiatives aiming at helping people in situation of permanent of temporal homelessness.[citation needed]
Landmarks
Iberian lynx (2019) by Bordallo II
Portuguese street artist Bordalo II creates installations made of garbage to highlight over-consumption. His works consisting of animals are created to highlight the destruction of species by waste caused by humans.[46] One of his public sculptures is a huge Iberian lynx in the Parque das Nações, made for the World Conference of Ministers Responsible for Youth in 2019 and Youth Forum Lisboa+21.[47]
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