Lisbon City Council
Portugal
The Lisbon City Council (Câmara Municipal de Lisboa - CML) is the executive body of the municipality. Its mission is to define and implement policies and to promote the development of the municipality in several sectors. The CML is composed of 17 locally elected officials (1 President and 16 council members), who represent the different elected political forces. The BIP/ZIP program first appeared in the objectives of the Local Housing Programme (PLH), approved by the city in late 2009. Since 2011, the programme has aimed at implementing small, local interventions that promote the emergence of activities in neighbourhoods and in Priority Intervention Zones able to make viable responses to social and urban emergencies as a challenge to the well-being of the whole community. Its philosophy is based on the establishment of local partnerships, together with the parish and local associations, communities and non-governmental organizations, contributing to the strengthening of social and territorial cohesion in the city. The program’s primary goal is the promotion of active citizenship that will strengthen the integration of these territories in the city.