More commonly referred as “EXPO” by local Portuguese, this 5.4 sq km plot was once a site mainly used for industrial purposes. According to some of my local neighbours, there stood a lot of defunct factory buildings and was a place where trucks would unload trash and things like old TV until the 1990s.
Because of the World Exposition ’98, the site was transformed to what is seen as “the biggest domestic environmental upgrading and urban development project ever tackled by the country that century”*, and has won numerous awards and featured as a successful case study internationally.
This is the newest area in Lisbon, thus everything is designed to the highest standard to provide a good quality of life; convenience is an important factor the urban planners had in mind when designing Parque das Nações. One of the largest shopping mall in Lisbon, Vasco da Gama is centrally located, and one of the best private hospitals in the country, CUF Descobertas is also nearby. Two metro stations (Moscavide and Oriente respectively) connects downtown to Parque das Nações in around 25 minutes, and the Oriente train station connects Lisbon to the rest of the country. The international airport, is just 5 minutes away by car from Parque das Nações.
The planners also took advantage of the area’s geographical location, which has 5 kilometers of riverfront, and built a marina where boats can dock.
This is also one of the more expensive areas to live these days, and mostly comprise of middle class locals. More recently, due to the investment-for-immigration policies, referred to as the “Golden Visa Program”, a lot of Chinese investors are buying up properties here, which interestingly, I should note, are buildings with the best SEISMIC technology* in Lisbon because they are all recently built.
* Quoted from www.parqueexpo.pt/conteudo.aspx?lang=ing&id_object=693&name=The-Parque-das-Nacoes-Development-
* Lisbon lies in an earthquake zone. For more information, research about the Great Lisbon Earthquake of 1755.
Babie Rindo 