Interview to Silvino Correia, President of the Beato parish

What has changed for the better since the Hub Criativo do Beato installation project started?

The installation of the Hub Criativo in the parish of Beato provides the emergence of new opportunities for the territory. We are talking about a territory with very little investment in recent decades, where much remains to be done, where the feeling of abandonment prevails in the population. The Hub brings the opportunity to change this state of affairs, bringing with it the hope of new activities and new investments. With this installation, there is also the opportunity for the population to enjoy new green spaces, spaces for culture and leisure, so necessary for a balance that we all seek for our lives.

The implementation of the Hub Criativo in our parish, also brings an opportunity regarding issues related to mobility. With regard to transport, it is an opportunity to reinforce the existing network, such as the creation of the Neighborhood career, already in operation, and which has proved to be a dynamic instrument for territorial cohesion, establishing a link between all parts of the parish. Also with regard to smooth mobility, the opportunity arises to see Beato with contemplated access to the Gira network, namely through the activation of one or more stations in the network.

The crisis that we are going through and for which no one was prepared, led to the emergence of new networks of mutual assistance, the development of community and social projects that intertwine and constitute an asset in the life of those who were affected by this pandemic, which does not choose age or condition. This is also an opportunity for companies that will settle in Hub do Beato to become another extension of this network, thus being part of a community that wants to be inclusive and supportive.

What do you believe that the technological and creative community that will be installed in HCB can contribute to the parish of Beato?

The implementation of this technological and creative community in the Hub, will allow the parish to have an entrepreneurial pole, with a dynamic and creative potential. A potential that we intend to take advantage of and put at the service of improving the living conditions of the population of Beato. It is expected that in this space will be the most innovative national and international companies in the world. This is a good incentive so that in the future new opportunities will be created both for the residents of the parish and for the whole city.

With this new scenario, Beato is positioned as a new centrality in the city of Lisbon, hoping that with it our neighbors and the parish will win in terms of employability, modernity and the creation of synergies that may improve the quality of life of its inhabitants.

What are the parish plans for the future and how can the HCB project leverage them?

The Hub Criativo do Beato is the necessary anchor for investment and revitalization of the eastern part of Lisbon, especially the Beato-Xabregas axis. An urban renewal, with the requalification of the existing building, which is already happening and which we are following in order to avoid inconvenience to the population, but also a requalification of more and better public spaces, social and educational facilities, better mobility.

O futuro da nossa freguesia passa também pelo desenvolvimento do conceito de uma cidade inteligente, um desenvolvimento urbano sustentável, nomeadamente através da concretização das oportunidades surgidas através da revolução digital, com a crescente difusão e capacidade de computação, do surgimento de novas tecnologias, do desenvolvimento da inovação social e da integração de mecanismos e ações de gestão, e planejamento de espaços urbanos.  Esta é a ambição que todos queremos imprimir no Beato, o Beato dos palácios, das Villas operárias e das fábricas da revolução industrial, o Beato que se converteu e acolhe hoje artistas e criadores, a par de trabalhadores nas áreas do comércio e serviços, que certamente tornarão o Beato numa freguesia adepta da criatividade e da inovação, mas sobretudo uma freguesia inclusiva que não deixa ninguém para trás.

The future of our parish also involves the development of the concept of a smart city, a sustainable urban development, namely through the realization of the opportunities that arose through the digital revolution, with the increasing diffusion and computing capacity, the emergence of new technologies, the development social innovation and the integration of management mechanisms and actions, and planning of urban spaces. This is the ambition that we all want to impress on Beato, the Beato of palaces, workers’ villas and factories of the industrial revolution. They will certainly make Beato a parish adept at creativity and innovation, but above all, an inclusive parish that leaves no one behind.