New governance strategies
for Urban Design

Menu Examples List

Selected Examples of successful practices

BIP/ZIP Program

Promoting partnerships in sensitive urban areas

What

The BIP/ZIP program supports small-scale, community-driven projects in deprived neighbourhoods, allowing bottom-up experimentation in the form of co-governance models, design solutions and cultural initiatives, to name only a few. BIP/ZIP officially started in 2011 and remains active today.

Who

The BIP/ZIP program is managed by the City Council of Lisbon.

How

The BIP/ZIP program first appeared in the objectives of the Local Housing Programme (PLH), approved by the city in late 2009. Since 2011, the programme has aimed at implementing small, local interventions that promote the emergence of activities in neighbourhoods and in Priority Intervention Zones able to “make viable responses to social and urban emergencies” as a “challenge to the well-being of the whole community.” This program is highly open in terms of partnerships and themes, among which several stand out: the promotion of citizenship, skills and entrepreneurship, prevention and inclusion, rehabilitation and redevelopment areas, and the improvement of life in neighbourhoods. Its philosophy is based on the establishment of local partnerships, together with the parish and local associations, communities and non-governmental organizations, contributing to the strengthening of social and territorial cohesion in the city. The program’s primary goal is the promotion of active citizenship that will strengthen the integration of these territories in the city (see CRESPO et al, 2016).

Why

BIP/ZIP has a strong participatory dimension, including participatory budgeting. It has successfully established links between different scales: city-wide strategic development and local, small-scale projects.

RELATED HORIZON 2020 PROJECTS
• The site of Marquês de Abrantes, that is included in the project Open Heritage, was reconstructed as part of the BIP/ZIP Programme. The neighbourhood is part of the larger area of Marvila that the ROCK project focuses on. The Lisboa Heritage Lab (established by the Open Heritage) looks into synergies created by the two projects, Open Heritage and ROCK, and explores their potential for both the neighbourhood and the territory: https://openheritage.eu/heritage-labs/marques-de-abrantes-portugal/; https://www.rockproject.eu/replicators
• The cooperative (and building) of Largo Residenciâs, also studied by Open Heritage, has actively participated in the BIP/ZIP Programme and received a grant from it that enables launching Largo’s activities: https://openheritage.eu/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/D2.2_Observatory_Cases_Report.pdf

Resources

Links

bipzip.cm-lisboa.pt/
cooperativecity.org/2017/...

Expert Paper



(c) Nelson D'Aires
Main photo caption : (c) Valter Vinagre