About this video

• Video Title: Autárquicas 2025: O frente a frente dos candidatos de Vila Nova de Gaia
• Channel: Jornal de Notícias
• Speakers: João Paulo Correia, João Martins, André Araújo
• Duration: 01:05:50

Overview

This video features a debate between three candidates for the mayoralty of Vila Nova de Gaia in the upcoming 2025 elections. João Paulo Correia (PS), João Martins (Bloco de Esquerda/Livre coalition), and André Araújo (CDU) discuss their proposals and visions for the municipality, addressing topics such as corruption, transportation, mobility, and housing. Two other invited candidates, Luís Filipe Menezes and António Barbosa, did not attend the debate.

Key takeaways

• Candidate Landscape: The debate includes João Paulo Correia (PS), João Martins (Bloco de Esquerda/Livre), and André Araújo (CDU). Luís Filipe Menezes (PSD coalition) and António Barbosa (Chega) were invited but did not participate.
• Public Opinion: A poll indicates 78% of Vila Nova de Gaia residents like living in the municipality and would recommend it, but corruption is seen as a serious issue by 70% of respondents.
• Transportation Issues: Candidates discussed the failures of the UNIR public transport operator and the need for improvements in bus services, particularly for peripheral parishes. The role of STCP and the metro expansion (Linha Rubi) were also highlighted.
• Mobility and Tolls: The abolition of tolls on the A41, A32, and A29 highways was a significant point of discussion, with candidates debating past voting records and the economic impact on the region.
• Housing Crisis: High housing costs and the need for social and affordable housing were addressed, with proposals ranging from public housing contracts and rent support to the rehabilitation of vacant properties and revisions to the municipal master plan (PDM).
• Political Stance: The CDU emphasized its role as an opposition voice and its commitment to citizens' issues, while the PS and the Bloco de Esquerda/Livre coalition presented their plans for public services and housing development.

The candidates propose various measures to address the high cost of housing in Vila Nova de Gaia:

João Paulo Correia (PS):

• Public Housing and Affordable Rent: Utilize a €143 million contract with the Housing Institute to build and acquire public housing for affordable rent. The first phase of this contract has already seen some housing units delivered.
• Rehabilitation of Social Housing: Rehabilitate 600 social housing units that are returned to the municipality every four years and offer them under an affordable rent scheme. Affordable rent is defined as not exceeding 35% of a family's disposable income after taxes and social security.
• Rental Support: Double the number of families supported by the municipal rental support program (currently supporting 450 families) to 900 within two years.
• Housing Cooperatives: Support housing cooperatives by providing land and exempting them from taxes, duties, and licenses. The municipality hopes the government's new credit line will finance these cooperative movements.
• Municipal Master Plan (PDM) Revision: Expedite the revision of the PDM to lift construction limits in the southern parishes of the municipality, where land is available for higher-density development. This revision is currently delayed by bureaucratic processes.

João Martins (Bloco de Esquerda/Livre Coalition):

• Increase Public Housing: Aims to increase the availability of housing by 20% by 2030 through reconversion, requalification, construction, or acquisition.
• Utilize State-Owned Buildings: Identify and utilize vacant state-owned buildings within the municipality for housing.
• Enforce Vacant Property Taxes: Implement and intensify the aggravated IMI (Imposto Municipal sobre Imóveis - Municipal Property Tax) for vacant buildings and apply higher taxes to unoccupied properties, especially in high-demand areas.
• PDM Revision: Agrees on the urgency of revising the PDM, particularly to increase construction capacity by approximately 25% in the southern part of the municipality.
• Municipal Housing Charter: Update the municipal housing charter based on the 2021 census data to better understand population distribution and needs across different parishes.

André Araújo (CDU):

• Strong Central Government Response: Advocates for a robust response from the central government, as housing is a constitutional responsibility, arguing that previous PS and PSD governments have failed to deliver sufficient public housing.
• PDM Revision Urgency: Emphasizes the need for an urgent revision of the PDM but stresses that it should not be a mere bureaucratic exercise.
• Curb Speculation: Implement policies to halt the speculative use of land, which is particularly prevalent in Vila Nova de Gaia. This includes proposing quotas for accessible housing in new constructions.
• Mobilize Vacant Properties: Activate the 4,732 vacant properties in the municipality, which are currently serving real estate speculation, potentially through intensified tax measures.
• Balanced Urban Expansion: Ensure urban expansion is environmentally balanced and integrated with public transportation (metro and buses) to avoid past mistakes.
• Green Spaces: Prioritize green spaces, proximity playgrounds, and leisure areas to improve the quality of life and vitalize parish centers, supporting local businesses and fostering community.

Yes, André Araújo of the CDU mentions green spaces as a key part of their housing and urban planning proposals. He states:

"We need green spaces to live in, so that young people can have proximity playgrounds, for them to have a better quality of life in Vila Nova de Gaia. We cannot be just a dormitory municipality for the city of Porto. And for that, key dimensions are important: proximity playgrounds, leisure parks for the elderly to rest, and a dimension that is key. If we don't revitalize the centers of our parishes, the micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises themselves will have great difficulty creating that life, creating that community. We don't need urban arrangements. More urban arrangements are all we see. There's only an urban arrangement when it's to put a supermarket or a Pingo Doce there. There's never an urban arrangement to create a proximity park within 15 minutes or at least 500 meters of all people. We need this, and only with the CDU's strength will we achieve this objective."