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Avenida Oliveira Zina in Valongo seen from above, with red-roofed houses leading to the parish church and wooded hills behind

Portugal

Valongo

Photo: Petnog, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Valongo opened its new Praça da Democracia in August 2026 and is working on youth participation and urban green spaces through two URBACT networks.

Updated · Checked against official sources

  • Population

    94,697

    2021 census, provisional data

  • Mayor

    Paulo Esteves Ferreira

  • EU programmes

    9

Latest

  1. Civic participation ·

    Valongo hosts FLY! 2026, a European forum on youth participation

    Valongo co-organised the Forum for Local Youth Impact (FLY!) 2026 with the European Association for Local Democracy (ALDA) on 15 and 16 October.

    Facts and source
    • Valongo hosted the Forum for Local Youth Impact (FLY!) 2026 on 15 and 16 October 2026.
    • The forum was promoted by ALDA, the European Association for Local Democracy, and co-organised with the municipality.
    • Discussions covered the revision of the EU Youth Strategy and the future of Erasmus+.

    Source: Câmara Municipal de Valongo, “Valongo foi o palco do diálogo europeu sobre o futuro da participação jovem!”

  2. Regeneration and housing ·

    Valongo opens Praça da Democracia, a new public square in the town centre

    Valongo inaugurated the Praça da Democracia, a new central public square designed as a meeting place, on the evening of 6 August 2026.

    Facts and source
    • The Praça da Democracia was inaugurated on the evening of 6 August 2026.
    • The municipality presents the square as a new urban centre for Valongo.

    Source: Câmara Municipal de Valongo, “Praça da Democracia abre um novo espaço de encontro no coração de Valongo”

  3. Climate and energy ·

    Valongo hosts second meeting of the URBACT PARKS network on urban green spaces

    Valongo hosted partners of the URBACT PARKS network on 25 and 26 June 2026 to compare how cities manage urban green spaces and trees.

    Facts and source
    • Valongo hosted the second transnational meeting of the PARKS network on 25 and 26 June 2026.
    • PARKS is funded under the fourth call of the URBACT programme.
    • Valongo presented municipal projects including a network of urban micro-forests.

    Source: Câmara Municipal de Valongo, “Cidades mais verdes, futuros mais promissores – Reunião da Rede PARKS em Valongo”

  4. Climate and energy ·

    Serras do Porto Natura 2030 brings €1.7 million for nature restoration around Valongo

    A project worth more than €1.7 million for ecological restoration and climate adaptation in the Serras do Porto hills, covering Valongo, Gondomar and Paredes, was presented on 28 May 2026.

    Facts and source
    • The Serras do Porto Natura 2030 project is worth more than €1.7 million.
    • NORTE 2030 funds the project with more than €1.5 million.
    • The project covers about 6,000 hectares.

    Source: Câmara Municipal de Valongo, “Projeto “Serras do Porto Natura 2030” investe 1,7 milhões de euros em restauro ecológico e adaptação às alterações climáticas”

  5. Mobility ·

    Valongo hosts the closing meeting of the EU GreenMove mobility project

    Valongo hosted the final meeting of GreenMove, a CERV-funded European project with 17 partners on sustainable and inclusive mobility that began in 2024.

    Facts and source
    • GreenMove was funded by the EU CERV programme and brought together 17 partners from 16 countries.
    • The final meeting in Valongo closed a European project that began in 2024.
    • Valongo presented its work on active mobility and its cycle lane network.

    Source: Câmara Municipal de Valongo, “Valongo encerrou projeto europeu GreenMove com foco na mobilidade sustentável e inclusiva”

City briefs are drafted with AI from official sources; every fact is checked against the source text before an editor approves it.

Projects we track

5 projects · 2 completed · 2 under way

    1. Planned
    2. Funded
    3. Under way
    4. Completed

    Praça da Democracia (Democracy Square)

    A new public square in central Valongo, close to schools, shops and services, opened on 6 August 2026 as a meeting place for all generations.

    Regeneration and housing

    Status checked 20 October 2026 · Source

    1. Planned
    2. Funded
    3. Under way
    4. Completed

    Serras do Porto Natura 2030

    Ecological restoration and climate adaptation across about 6,000 hectares of the Serras do Porto hills shared by Gondomar, Paredes and Valongo, presented on 28 May 2026.

    Budget more than €1.7 million (NORTE 2030 funding of more than €1.5 million) Funded by NORTE 2030 Climate and energy

    Status checked 20 October 2026 · Source

    1. Planned
    2. Funded
    3. Under way
    4. Completed

    Escola da Bela refurbishment

    Works began in June 2026 on refurbishing the century-old Bela school building in Ermesinde, with a 240-day construction period.

    Budget €648,793.51 plus VAT Funded by NORTE 2030 Regeneration and housing

    Status checked 20 October 2026 · Source

    1. Planned
    2. Funded
    3. Under way
    4. Completed

    Renewal of the Youth Participatory Budget (OPJV) through Com'ON City

    Valongo is adapting Cluj-Napoca's Com'ON youth participation model to renew its own Youth Participatory Budget, as part of an URBACT transfer network running to 2028.

    Funded by URBACT IV (European Union) Civic participation

    Status checked 20 October 2026 · Source

    1. Planned
    2. Funded
    3. Under way
    4. Completed

    GreenMove

    A CERV-funded European project with 17 partners on sustainable and inclusive mobility, started in 2024 and closed with a final meeting in Valongo in May 2026.

    Funded by CERV (Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values programme) Mobility

    Status checked 20 October 2026 · Source

EU programmes and networks

From the archive

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