Encarnação (Lisbon neighborhood)

Category: Nature > Avenue

District: Lisboa > Lisboa > Lisboa > Encarnação

Location

The Encarnação neighborhood is located in the northeast of Lisbon, currently integrated into the Olivais parish. Its historical boundaries, defined at the time of its creation in 1938, are marked by important city thoroughfares, such as the Segunda Circular, Avenida de Berlim, and the old Moscavide road, which gives it a specific position within the urban fabric.

A Neighborhood Designed as a Garden City

Encarnação is a remarkable example of the application, in Portugal, of the urban planning theory of the Garden City. Conceived in 1938, its planning aimed to create an environment that combined rural characteristics with the structure of an urban neighborhood. The goal was to provide affordable housing in an organized space, with special attention to the residents' quality of life.

Layout and Characteristic Architecture

The neighborhood's design is marked by three main avenues that delimit and organize it, connected by other interior roads. A distinctive aspect of its layout is how the streets adapt to the terrain's topography, rather than radically altering it. Housing is dominated by semi-detached single-family houses, in contrast to the more common apartment buildings in other areas of Lisbon.

The Heart of the Neighborhood: Structuring Buildings

The distribution of public facilities in Encarnação followed a logic of symmetry and accessibility for residents. At the top of the main avenue is the Encarnação Church, a central and reference point. Nearby, the original primary school is located. The planning also included the construction of markets in strategic positions, one at each end of the secondary avenues, and the fire station at the bottom of the main avenue, creating a set of essential services arranged in an organized manner.

The Importance of Green Spaces

A considerable portion of the neighborhood's total area was allocated to open spaces and green areas. These places have played a crucial role in community life since their inception. They represent an integral part of the Garden City concept, functioning as leisure and social areas that contribute to the environmental quality and well-being of those who live in or visit the neighborhood.

License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.pt