Setubal 2015
Social & Urban concept-plan/program for Sustainable Living
about the project
"This executive summary presents the proposals submitted by the Foundation to the Portuguese Ministry of Environment, developed through a long standing cooperation and partnership."
status of project
Concept / Proposal
project design: 2013
Details
Denomination: Setúbal 2025 – Social & Urban concept-plan/program for Sustainable Living
Branding denomination: Setúbal 2015
Location: Setúbal, Portugal
Concept & Project Management: Frederic Coustols
team members
Concept & Project Management: Frederic Coustols
Digital Brand Management: Creative Digital Design
short description
research
The enclosed Setúbal roadmap for sustainable recovery outlines how a more balanced, inclusive and creative form of development can be achieved in this Portuguese coastal city.
Setúbal is strategically located near Lisbon and benefits from abundant natural resources, including the pristine Arrábida forest, a deep sea port and a respected university. At the same time, the city faces high unemployment and a persistent structural budget deficit. These conditions make Setúbal an ideal testing ground for a new development model centred on community participation and empowerment, the sustainable use of resources and essential urban regeneration.
concept
A consortium of international experts was invited to discuss and debate the future of Europe and Portugal, guided by a commitment to enabling critical thinking and problem solving among engaged young people and active citizens who are seeking alternative scenarios to address the current financial crisis and support local communities in redesigning their own futures.
The proposed Setúbal roadmap, centred on the renaissance of this coastal city located forty one kilometres south of Lisbon, aims to inspire similar initiatives and debates across the European Union. As the need to rethink Europe and redefine our economic models becomes increasingly urgent, the Foundation and its network of experts stand ready to assist municipalities and regions interested in exploring creative and sustainable economic solutions grounded in community inclusion, responsible use of natural resources and the stewardship of shared commons.
methodology
This roadmap proposes an economic framework grounded in accurate statistical insight. Figures and data are drawn primarily from information provided by the Setúbal Municipality, the Portuguese Ministry of Environment, ENI, the World Bank, Eurostat and the CIA. Concrete proposals, including the urban renovation scheme, are informed by extensive field visits and discussions with local residents and elected officials.
Based on this research, experts strongly believe that Setúbal has the potential to serve as a social and economic laboratory within the southern European periphery, where unemployment and structural budget and debt challenges are widespread. Meaningful reforms, particularly in the fields of training, research and natural resource management, will be necessary to achieve the desired outcomes and ensure that economic transitions are durable.
From a socio economic perspective, the roadmap identifies broad civic participation as essential. All citizens, along with local businesses and industrial actors that contribute significantly to the region’s economic output, must be actively involved. This roadmap therefore calls for a robustly inclusive approach in which the private sector plays a central role. A ten year timetable is proposed to support citizens and companies as they adapt to new priorities and objectives while generating added value for the entire community.
A key factor in achieving success will be ensuring that all local stakeholders recognise this alternative strategy as a unique opportunity for recovery.
goals
Setúbal roadmap intends to design a sustainable tomorrow. After numerous studies and examinations of Portuguese and European data, we are convinced that the economic model adopted by Portugal since its entry in the European Union has reached its limits and cannot produce the requested GDP growth.
Frederic, consequently, pleads for investing massively in bringing Portugal to a balanced footprint, social inclusiveness, biodiversity’s support, research and industrial production with the aim of achieving a kind of «sufficiency economy».
In the case of Setúbal, the following priorities shall be pursued by the national and local administration in a 10 year time frame:
- Reach a balanced footprint
- Test and set up all legal, tax and accounting principles, indexes, algorithms linked to an organic growth.
- Help creating a research center on sustainable technologies and social innovations
- Bring the city to full bloom (beauty, creativity, fun and wealth playing together)
additional info
With the legal, technical and financial support of the European Union, and assuming the Portuguese authorities allow an appropriate degree of autonomy and responsibility for the Setúbal region, the following outcomes could be achieved between now and 2024 in terms of job creation, urban renovation and economic performance:
• creation of 3,000 to 12,000 new jobs
• organic food production reaching an estimated value of 460 euros per capita per year
• reduction in gas imports of 0.5 tonnes of oil equivalent per capita
• reduction in CO₂ emissions of 5.1 tonnes per capita
• significant improvement in water and air quality
• local production of approximately 52 percent of the city’s total energy needs
• complete restoration of the historic city centre
• introduction of a new accounting and tax framework designed to drastically reduce current levels of entropy
• increase of 100,000 visitors per year to the city
• balanced accounts between the city, the State and its citizens
Such a success, with the potential to become a symbol of Europe’s renewal after years of crisis and stagnation, could significantly influence public understanding of the European Union and strengthen support for the integration project. The estimated costs illustrate how modest such an undertaking would be when compared with its potential impact:
• the European Union and the Portuguese State have already invested approximately 200 billion euros in Portugal, with only limited success
• an investment of around 126 euros per capita per year in Setúbal could generate the benefits outlined above
A successful Setúbal initiative would make a meaningful contribution to reducing Portugal’s long term structural vulnerabilities by improving the balance of payments in the areas of food and energy. In doing so, it would help address two of the country’s most persistent economic challenges.
