The Arco do Cego housing estate - a village within the city of Lisbon

Abstract

The Arco do Cego social housing estate was built on the basis of Decree nº.4137, of 24 April 1918, and represents the first state-sponsored attempt to find an effective solution to the problem of housing the urban working class. Previous initiatives had been few in number and originated generally in the private sector, very often from employers. Only occasionally did municipal authorities take any action, and then without any legal framework or secure source of funding. The Arco do Cego estate was located in an area where Lisbon was expanding, east of the Avenidas Novas, by Ressano Garcia' s plan. The ground plan of the estate is octagonal and symmetrical on either side of its main road, Rua Dr. Magalhães Lima. As with most social estates, the roads are arranged in strictly hierarchical fashion, in contrast to the surrounding urban development. The closed structure of the estate gives it, intentionally, the feel of a «village» within the city. The estate was a product of the 1^st Republic and became a symbol of the New State, and thanks to its particular characteristics became a landmark in the history of social housing and in the urban development of Lisbon. The Bairro do Arco de Cego is located very centrally in Lisbon, east of the Avenidas Novas and between the new city squares - Praça de Londres, Campo Pequeno, and further afield, Saldanha and Areeiro. Public transport routes serve the outer roads of the estate, where there are train and underground stations. Also to be found on its boundaries are major institutions, such as the Higher Technical Institute and the headquarters of the Caixa Geral de Depósitos.