ABSTRACT
During the past thirty years, European cities have been addressing global climate change and local impacts through testing and implementation of mitigation and adaptation strategies. Lisbon Downtown is no exception, with ten masterplans under execution since 2010 with completion scheduled until 2030, valued at one billion euros of public investment. However, the gap between mitigation and adaptation strategies is not yet sufficiently studied in parallel to nuances vulnerability and risk mitigation, resilience and adaptation. In Lisbon Downtown, these plans are being implemented separately, consequently compromising the effectiveness of public investment. This paper analyses the current urban development actions in Lisbon Downtown in order to identify potential conflicts and synergies. The results suggest that the largest public investment in Lisbon on flooding mitigation towards a Sponge City will conflict with the new cruise ship terminal and old Downton building stock, therefore increasing risk and vulnerability factors.
