Search

During the second half of the 20th century there was a massive surge of illegal building in the metropolitan areas of Lisbon and Oporto. Houses were built without the proper licenses issued by the Municipalities that are also responsible for the supervision of constructions by private individuals. As a result of the building illegal nature, good urban planning practices were not taken into account; this led to problems in urban space and compromised its organization and evolution. quinta do Conde (sesimbra) was an Urban area developped illegaly (aUgi, the Portuguese acronym), whose first allotments were made in the 1960s. However, several factors have contributed to enhance its appeal, generating intense, constructive and functional population dynamics. the offer of trade and services exhibited deep changes since its inception, shifting from a business predominantly associated with food trade and construction, which had an incipient structure and familial organisation, to a more diversified product range, some of which quite specialised, in a more structured urban environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]