Porto's AM remembers architect Nuno Portas

The Porto Municipal Assembly (AM) unanimously approved this Monday two votes of condolence presented by the Socialist Party and the Left Bloc (BE) for the death of architect and urban planner Nuno Portas, who passed away this Sunday.

Representing all political forces, which subsequently signed the two votes of condolence , the socialist Agostinho Sousa Pinto reviewed Nuno Portas' academic career and remembered the "man of critical thinking, civic commitment and dedication to architecture and urban planning as instruments of social justice".

"He built ideas, designed cities. His legacy will remain as an inspiration for all who believe in a city built with and for people , inclusive, sustainable, and promoting citizen participation," declared the leader of the PS municipal group.

For the Left Bloc, Susana Constante Pereira praised the architect's contribution to the city of Porto, recalling how the creation of CRUARB — Commission for Urban Renewal of the Ribeira-Barredo Area, which played a "decisive role" in the classification by UNESCO of the Historic Center of Porto as a World Heritage Site, but also of the Local Support Outpatient Service (SAAL), which "gave rise to urban policies that profoundly marked the right to the city and access to decent housing for many people."

"From the resistance to the dictatorship to the first decades of democracy, Nuno Portas was one of the most brilliant and visionary voices in architecture, urban planning, academia, and Portuguese culture , with a legacy that spans generations and borders," said the leader of the BE municipal group.

A prominent thinker, researcher and promoter of housing and urban planning policies in Portugal and abroad, Nuno Portas has gained international recognition, particularly in Spain and Brazil.

Nuno Rodrigo Martins Portas, one of the leading figures in Portuguese culture, was born on September 23, 1934, in São Bartolomeu, Vila Viçosa, and at a very young age divided his time between his passions for cinema and architecture.