Burying the via AEP and creating the Northern Economic District in Porto

The proposal by the President of Porto City Council to bury the via AEP and establish a Northern Economic District sets out an ambitious direction for the city’s future and deserves recognition. Anything that helps to decarbonise the city, make it more people-centred, and return urban space to residents should be taken as a positive sign. What is more, this area is one of Porto’s last major strategic land reserves-far too valuable to remain largely limited to warehouses and low-skilled logistics. Porto needs this territory if it is to become a city in the fullest sense again.

A bold proposal for Porto: via AEP and the Northern Economic District

Even so, it may be worth thinking carefully about what should come first. Before committing to the costly step of putting the well-known “via rápida da AEP” underground, it seems more urgent to act on the surrounding land and breathe life back into an area that has lacked identity for decades.

Revitalising the surrounding area should be the first priority

That is the real test: shaping a new urban and economic centre that can properly combine housing, shops, services, businesses, green space, and high-quality city life. A compact city like Porto needs strong urban functions-because it is those functions that make a city, not simply the roads that carry traffic.

Rethinking mobility only after the new city is established

Only once this new piece of city has been consolidated will it make sense to reassess the role of mobility along that corridor. The wider metropolitan context may also change substantially over the coming years. A reorganisation of the VCI, new north–south links, and shifts in travel patterns could change-and even reduce-some of the traffic that currently runs along that axis. For that reason, rather than focusing now on that infrastructure, the priority is to transform this territory, ensuring every investment matches the city’s future needs rather than merely responding to today’s pressures.