16 Nov Working table on Housing and Mobility in Melgaço within the framework of the Cross-border Urban Agendas

As part of the process of setting up a Cross-border Urban Agenda for As Neves – Melgaço, the municipal technicians of both municipalities, Diana Rodríguez and Estefânia Rocha, met today in Melgaço with agents of the territory to talk about Mobility and Housing, the two thematic areas selected by the group of work for the preparation of its strategic plan. The manager of the Quadernas consultancy, Arturo González, was also present at the meeting, in charge of monitoring and advising the entire planning process.

The first part of the meeting focused on the issue of cross-border mobility. In it, the municipal technicians had the opportunity to share with the invited agents different proposals aimed at reducing the problems related to travel and receive their corresponding feedback. For this, the participation of representatives of the Portuguese Parish Councils and the Galician parishes that most often use the international bridge, as well as a retired taxi driver who contributed his professional experience in this regard.

The selection of participating agents was made by consensus with other municipal technicians from the two municipalities. In the case of the housing worktable, which took place next, representatives from the educational field of both municipalities, student and youth representatives and a former employee of a real estate portal in As Neves joined the debate to talk about the difficulties they encounter these groups when it comes to finding accommodation in the two towns due to the limited offer that exists.

The implementation of the Urban Agendas in the cross-border territory of the Rio Minho, based on the objectives defined by the Urban Agendas of the United Nations, the European Union and Spain, will allow the Cross-border of the Rio Minho to be more inclusive, resilient and sustainable.

The “Urban Agendas of the Rio Minho” training program is part of the project “Support Network for Local Dynamics of Cooperation in the Cross-border Rio Minho” – Rede Lab Minho, promoted by the EGTC Rio Minho and co-financed by the Interreg V-A Spain-Portugal Program.