By: CHRIS GRAEME
LISBON’S NEW space age city on the south banks of the River Tejo could eventually provide the venue for Portugal’s eventual Olympic bid.
The joint Luso-British project, which will employ leading UK architects and specialists, will draw on a wealth of experience gained from London’s successful bid to host the 2012 Olympic Games.
The Cidade da Água, Water City, is planned to be built near Almada on derelict plots of land owned by shipping company Lisnave. The project would be situated roughly between Cova da Piedade and Cacilhas.
Work on the huge urban regeneration project, which would rival London’s Docklands Project in terms of scope and size, should begin in 2010 and would tie in perfectly with construction of the new Lisbon International Airport nearby.
The new city would comfortably house a broad social mix of inhabitants from between 15,000 to 30,000, and initial studies are already estimated to have cost two million euros.
The city would contain everything needed to sustain a modern urban community including hospitals, schools, colleges, parks, health centres, fire services, police, shopping centres, leisure amenities and green open spaces.
The projected city would cover an estimated 115 hectares and could cost upwards of two billion euros.
The new conurbation would also likely be served by a brand new metro line extending from Cais do Sodré on the Green Line or Santa Apolónia on the Blue Line under the River Tejo, or via a new bridge over the river.
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