The Municipality of Loulé approved, at a meeting held on November 27, the work of “Urban Rehabilitation of the Streets of the Historic Center of Loulé”, an intervention that will focus on the area located inside the walls in the western part of the city's medieval historic center. the rupture line between the old building (house in the Historic Center) and the new building Urbanização do Rossio (former Horta D'El Rei and fairgrounds).
"Since this is an area of great relevance from an urban, social, cultural and historical point of view", the Municipality states that it intends that the "preservation of its endogenous characteristics is combined with its requalification, so that the resident population, the user or visitors can enjoy these spaces in a safe, comfortable and quality way».
Thus, explains Loulé City Council in a press release, the main objectives of this intervention «go through the preservation of the image and character of the Historic Centre, improving its accessibility and circulation, maintaining a language consistent with recent interventions and standardizing neutral materials through profiles suitable for each street, without creating visual barriers, and whose main function is to transmit quality and safety to those who use it».
On the other hand, the work will also focus on "rehabilitating buried infrastructure, replacing existing ones and creating those that are missing, strengthening public lighting and urban furniture in a very judicious manner and integrated into the urban fabric without transform it into an architectural barrier, and in the requalification of the electrical and telecommunications network in order to minimize the aesthetic impact of poles and overhead cables found on the façades or crossing streets in a disorderly way».
“Pedestrian flows will be prioritized”, so this project involves “removal of inadequate parking, reorganizing it in neighboring areas”.
The autarchy stresses that this work is one of the actions programmed in the strategy defined for the Urban Rehabilitation Area of the Historic Center of Loulé, and is part of the objective of guaranteeing the urban quality of the historic center and the recovery of urban public space.
For municipal officials, this intervention “is part of a broad and concerted strategy aimed at rehabilitating what is the crown jewel of the city, for many years forgotten by those who lived and visited Loulé, but which is now a mandatory transit point for tourists, rejuvenating the demographic fabric, attracting new businesses, linked to the creative sectors, and generating a new socio-economic dynamic in this urban space».
The redevelopment of these streets will join other actions that have been «determining for the revitalization of this area», such as the rehabilitation of the cultural heritage existing here (Our Lady of Conceição Chapel, Castle or Igreja Matriz), the realization of the MED Festival, support to owners, with a view to the restoration of homes or the project to create a museum for the Islamic Baths (underway).
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