The 1st Meeting on ‘Environment and Quality of Life in Cascais, what future?’ took place on 16 November, with the participation of 13 associations and groups from the municipality and two national NGOs.
There was unanimous concern about the accelerated degradation of the environment and quality of life in the municipality of Cascais, in particular the continued destruction and threat to green areas such as the Quinta dos Ingleses forest, the unbridled increase in construction, the worsening of traffic, the intensification of noise at the Estoril race track and the conversion of the Tires aerodrome into an airport.
The following took part in the meeting: Associação Baixo Ruído, Associação de Defesa da Aldeia de Juso, Associação de Moradores de Birre, Pampilheira e Torre, Associação de Moradores do Bairro Almirante Nunes da Mata, Associação de Moradores do Bairro das Caixas, Cidadania Ambiental Associação, Fórum por Carcavelos, Grupo Areia-Guincho, Grupo Ecológico de Cascais, Movimento Contra o Alargimento do Aeródromo de Tires, Parque das Gerações and Respirar Cascais. Quercus and GEOTA were also present as observers.
The meeting, promoted by the environmental association SOS Quinta dos Ingleses, aimed to foster dialogue and the exchange of experiences between associations and groups concerned with environmental management and the quality of life in Cascais. There was unanimous recognition of the difficulty in exercising participatory citizenship and maintaining an open and constructive dialogue in decision-making, particularly at the municipal level, a constitutional precept rarely implemented in Cascais.
It has already been decided to hold a second working meeting before the end of this year to agree on future action strategies.
