Vila do Bispo is the Algarve's «Municipality of the Year 2017», an award given last night, at a gala in Fundão, which culminated this year's edition of the «Municipality of the Year Portugal» awards.
This is the second time that Vila do Bispo has been awarded in this competition, after being the national (and regional) winner of the 2015 edition, with the “Sagres Bird Watching Festival & Nature Activities".
The current distinction rewards the project «Evocation of U35 Operations in Sagres (1917-2017)», which refers to the «research, valorization and scientific, civic and touristic usufruct of the episode that occurred on April 24, 1917 of the sinking, in the waters of Sagres, of three ships by the submarine of the German Imperial Navy U35».
The wreckage, after 100 years, is already an Underwater Cultural Heritage. The project «contextualized the heroic involvement of the Portuguese Navy patrol ship “Galgo” and allowed the rewriting of the history of the 1st World War by proving that it also took place in national territory».
In statements to the Sul Informação, Adelino Soares, mayor of Vila do Bispo, expressed his “satisfaction” with this award. “It is a great satisfaction for us to win again at the regional level, it's just a pity that it wasn't also at the national level”, joked the mayor. “Our award-winning project is very interesting and proof of this is the series of programs that SIC broadcast a few days ago about these sinkings and this heritage,” he added.
«It is even more interesting, as it is a project developed by our technicians in collaboration with researchers from the Naval Research Center and the Naval School, with the Vila do Bispo Chamber having, in advance, protocoled with the Navy the development of the project, which went through the investigation and culminated with the launch of the book and the unveiling of the plaque this year, when the 100th anniversary of the sinkings made by the German submarine off the coast of Sagres was commemorated», said Adelino Soares.
For his part, Desidério Silva, president of the Algarve Tourism Region, considers that the project is «different and has all the merit of a first place».
«The candidacy of Vila do Bispo was historically symbolic, as it was related to a naval episode of World War I that took place on the Portuguese coast, in this case in Sagres. I congratulate the local authority for winning this award”, says Desidério Silva.
In the national award, the distinguished municipality was Guimarães, with the project «Pay-As-You-Throw in the Historic Center». This is a project that encourages the reduction of urban waste disposal and encourages recycling and the separation of waste: whoever more separates waste and deposits it for recycling in the right places, the more he sees his bill decrease. The project has «a differentiating and unique character, due to the fact that it is implemented in a Historic Centre, World Cultural Heritage, with clear specificities».
Vila do Bispo was one of the 35 finalists for the «Municipality of the Year Portugal 2017» award, organized by the «UM-Cities» platform of the University of Minho.
From the Algarve, the other finalists were Alcoutim, Portimão and Silves. Alcoutim chose to apply for the “Smuggling Festival – Arts Traffic in the Guadiana”, while Silves put forward a proposal that combines the environmental and civil protection dimensions, the project “Environmental Rehabilitation of the São Bom Homem estate”, where trees have already been planted, as a compensatory measure for the fires that ravaged this county in 2016.
Portimão also went to the final of the contest, with the project “Start Work II – Education, Professional Training, Entrepreneurship and Employment Exhibition".
Although her project was not awarded, Rosa Palma, mayor of Silves, has already highlighted the importance of her municipality being one of the four finalists. «It is an immense honor for us to be among the national municipalities with projects that reveal excellence and know-how», said the mayor.
The Municipality of Silves has «as its primordial working methodology, the development of strategies that allow the realization of network work, both internally and externally», explained Rosa Palma, and this project «is precisely emblematic of this philosophy».
The president of RTA, for his part, stressed that the four finalist projects of the Algarve Chambers "are of great quality and reveal the capacity for reinvention of the Algarve's local power."
The Competition “Municipalities of the Year Portugal 2017” was instituted by the University of Minho, through its UM-Cities platform, and aims to recognize the good practices of Portuguese municipalities.
The 2017 winners were:
national distinction
Municipality of the Year Portugal 2017 – Guimarães
regional distinctions
Municipality of the North Year 2017 - Guimarães
Municipality of the North Year 2017 (less than 20 thousand inhabitants – 2011 census) – Vila Nova de Cerveira
Municipality of the Center Year 2017 – Figueira da Foz
Municipality of the 2017 Center Year (less than 20 thousand inhabitants – 2011 census) – Góis
Municipality of the Year Alentejo 2017 – Ponte de Sor
Municipality of the Year Algarve 2017 – Vila do Bispo
Municipality of the Year Autonomous Regions 2017 – Funchal
Municipality of the Year Metropolitan Area of Porto 2017 – Trofa
Municipality of the Year Metropolitan Area of Lisbon 2 – Sintra
Characteristics of the Winning Projects:
GUIMARÃES – Pay-As-You-Throw in the Historic Center
Aiming to fill a gap that is manifest in the management of urban waste in Portugal, the project penalizes the production of waste, encourages reduction at source and increased separation of the recyclable fraction. With a differentiating and unique character resulting from the fact that it is implemented in a Historic Centre, World Cultural Heritage, with clear specificities.
VILA NOVA DE CERVEIRA – Cross-Border Cooperation Agenda | Friendship Cerveira – Tomiño
Based on the collaboration of the potential of the common river Minho resource, on the preservation and promotion of its natural, cultural and ethnographic values and on the sharing and optimization of public facilities and services for collective use, human and economic resources in a cooperation program aimed at the future.
FIGUEIRA DA FOZ – Geoparticipa – Public Participation in the PDM Review
Using new information technologies, the project developed a WebSIG application to, within the Public Discussion of the PDM Review, enable an interactive and informed participation of the citizens and present their suggestions or complaints, interacting in real time with the Municipal Services .
GÓIS - GÓISIM – Yes it is for Everyone
The new municipal transport network in Góis is part of the SIM – Integrated Mobility Systems project. It resulted from a challenge launched by the Municipality to Transdev, which together developed an integrated mobility solution that offers the entire population of the Municipality an alternative of high quality, economical and reliable transport.
SOR BRIDGE – Ponte de Sor Municipal Aerodrome
An infrastructure created to accommodate business and R&D activities across the Aviation and Aeronautics / Aerospace industries, in a context of strong internationalization. Equipped with state-of-the-art hangars, a University Campus, and a fully functioning Business Center, Ponte de Sor asserts itself in the world as a Portuguese Aeronautical Pole.
BISHOP'S VILLAGE – Evocation of the U 35 Operations in Sagres (1917-2017)
The project concerns the investigation, valorization and scientific, civic and touristic usufruct of the episode that occurred on April 24, 1917 of the sinking, in the waters of Sagres, of three ships by the submarine of the Imperial German Navy U 35. The wreckage became part of the Underwater Cultural Heritage of Humanity (UNESCO). The project contextualized the heroic involvement of the Portuguese Navy patrol ship “Galgo” and allowed rewriting the history of the 1st World War by proving that it also took place in national territory.
FUNCHAL – Funchal is More Tourism
Integrated project, based on a municipal strategy, aligned with the higher-level strategy. From it comes an action plan that is concerned with raising the quality of the destination and, consequently, the degree of tourist satisfaction.
TROPHY – Nossa Senhora das Dores and Dr. Lima Carneiro Parks
The Nossa Senhora das Dores and Dr. Lima Carneiro Parks are a green infrastructure with unique characteristics. With about seven hectares, they are located in the heart of the urban center and include spaces for sports, a large underground car park, an Interactive Tourism Shop, a Bar/Restaurant, a Lounge and picnic area, an Auditorium and the Center Municipal Community.
SINTRA – Sintra Includes – An Inclusive Council
It aims to create a model of transition to adult life for people with disabilities through socio-professional inclusion after school, involving the community network made up of public and private entities in the region.
Comments