“Accelerating the development of Coimbra is what drives us”
There were many distinctions and compliments handed out yesterday during the celebration of Coimbra's municipal holiday, which brought people from various areas, from culture to leadership, teaching and even dedication to public service, to the stage of the Sala D. Afonso Henriques. There were 60 personalities and institutions distinguished during yesterday afternoon.
The merits of various kinds were remembered, praised, honored and distinguished there. The choices were all announced in advance, but they were nonetheless worthy of long applause.
There were also many speeches throughout the afternoon, but it was José Manuel Silva, Mayor of Coimbra, who brought this festive day to a close. His first words were addressed to all those being honoured. “Your merit is a reflection of the city we want to be: active, supportive, creative, enterprising, cultured and deeply human. Each of you has contributed, in your own way, to making Coimbra a better, fairer and more vibrant city,” he said.
This was followed by an analysis of what has been done and what still needs to be done, and this was the defining aspect of his speech. He stressed that the executive he leads is driven by something very clear: “to accelerate the development of Coimbra, with transformative projects and investing in the municipality’s urban planning – a programme that requires an eight-year term of government for the results to be clearly visible”. In the mayor’s opinion, it is easy to understand that it is impossible to solve, in just four years, all the problems of a city that had low revenues and little relevant investment capacity”.
And so, he also took the opportunity to reveal some of the investment that they have “focused” on attracting. “Six multinationals have already set up shop in Coimbra (another two have already chosen Coimbra), we have sold all the free business spaces, we have worked hard on expanding iParque (an additional 19.2 hectares, corresponding to 11 new lots), we are creating an industrial zone in Souselas and we have created a fast track for investment, having created hundreds of new jobs”.
And, continuing to present what has been done, José Manuel Silva spoke about the restructuring of the municipality, the digitalization of procedures and the fact that they have started to “meet deadlines”, leading to an increase in the area of licensed housing in recent years.
In the morning, the local authority opened an exhibition at the old Coimbra Cidade station, but in the afternoon, the space that houses it was highlighted by the mayor. This is because the “high-speed” project “will transform the old station into an international quality intermodal central station, creating a new urban hub of the highest quality”. And speaking of mobility, José Manuel Silva did not forget the Metro Bus project which, in his words, his executive has accelerated. “Currently, the citizens of Coimbra are already beginning to see a requalified city. We will have a means of transport with all the characteristics of a metro, a project that will extraordinarily improve the environment in urban areas. The underground works are also of paramount importance, as they will separate waste water and rainwater, prevent flooding and provide Coimbra with new technical pipes and gutters, avoiding, perhaps in the next 50 years, constant ruptures and repair works on the tracks”, he stated.
One day after the Coimbra Invest Summit ended, José Manuel Silva stated that “aware that culture and creative industries are one of the driving forces behind Coimbra’s development”, the executive he leads has tripled investment in culture and tourism. He did not forget the (major) concerts that have been held at the Estádio Cidade de Coimbra, nor Cineway, the first certified Portuguese incubator dedicated exclusively to the film and audiovisual sector, which was announced on Thursday and, in his words, “will further affirm Coimbra as a city of culture and cinema”.
José Manuel Silva also spoke about many figures. The numbers of the population that grew in the last four years, the companies that were distinguished, those that were established, the construction area and the percentage of the construction area. It was a sum of what was achieved in the last four years, which added to the countless achievements of all those who went up on stage during the afternoon to be recognized.
And speaking of numbers, one of the highlights of the afternoon is worth highlighting. At 93 years old, and with 80 years of experience in music, Fernando Rolim went on stage to receive the Gold Medal of the City, and left a message: “never stop learning and listening, but don’t stop listening to references from the past, because without references we lose our identity”.
Yesterday, everyone, without exception, honored Coimbra and thanked the city.
There were many distinctions and compliments handed out yesterday during the celebration of Coimbra's municipal holiday, which brought people from various areas, from culture to leadership, teaching and even dedication to public service, to the stage of the Sala D. Afonso Henriques. There were 60 personalities and institutions distinguished during yesterday afternoon.
The merits of various kinds were remembered, praised, honored and distinguished there. The choices were all announced in advance, but they were nonetheless worthy of long applause.
There were also many speeches throughout the afternoon, but it was José Manuel Silva, Mayor of Coimbra, who brought this festive day to a close. His first words were addressed to all those being honoured. “Your merit is a reflection of the city we want to be: active, supportive, creative, enterprising, cultured and deeply human. Each of you has contributed, in your own way, to making Coimbra a better, fairer and more vibrant city,” he said.
This was followed by an analysis of what has been done and what still needs to be done, and this was the defining aspect of his speech. He stressed that the executive he leads is driven by something very clear: “to accelerate the development of Coimbra, with transformative projects and investing in the municipality’s urban planning – a programme that requires an eight-year term of government for the results to be clearly visible”. In the mayor’s opinion, it is easy to understand that it is impossible to solve, in just four years, all the problems of a city that had low revenues and little relevant investment capacity”.
And so, he also took the opportunity to reveal some of the investment that they have “focused” on attracting. “Six multinationals have already set up shop in Coimbra (another two have already chosen Coimbra), we have sold all the free business spaces, we have worked hard on expanding iParque (an additional 19.2 hectares, corresponding to 11 new lots), we are creating an industrial zone in Souselas and we have created a fast track for investment, having created hundreds of new jobs”.
And, continuing to present what has been done, José Manuel Silva spoke about the restructuring of the municipality, the digitalization of procedures and the fact that they have started to “meet deadlines”, leading to an increase in the area of licensed housing in recent years.
In the morning, the local authority opened an exhibition at the old Coimbra Cidade station, but in the afternoon, the space that houses it was highlighted by the mayor. This is because the “high-speed” project “will transform the old station into an international quality intermodal central station, creating a new urban hub of the highest quality”. And speaking of mobility, José Manuel Silva did not forget the Metro Bus project which, in his words, his executive has accelerated. “Currently, the citizens of Coimbra are already beginning to see a requalified city. We will have a means of transport with all the characteristics of a metro, a project that will extraordinarily improve the environment in urban areas. The underground works are also of paramount importance, as they will separate waste water and rainwater, prevent flooding and provide Coimbra with new technical pipes and gutters, avoiding, perhaps in the next 50 years, constant ruptures and repair works on the tracks”, he stated.
One day after the Coimbra Invest Summit ended, José Manuel Silva stated that “aware that culture and creative industries are one of the driving forces behind Coimbra’s development”, the executive he leads has tripled investment in culture and tourism. He did not forget the (major) concerts that have been held at the Estádio Cidade de Coimbra, nor Cineway, the first certified Portuguese incubator dedicated exclusively to the film and audiovisual sector, which was announced on Thursday and, in his words, “will further affirm Coimbra as a city of culture and cinema”.
José Manuel Silva also spoke about many figures. The numbers of the population that grew in the last four years, the companies that were distinguished, those that were established, the construction area and the percentage of the construction area. It was a sum of what was achieved in the last four years, which added to the countless achievements of all those who went up on stage during the afternoon to be recognized.
And speaking of numbers, one of the highlights of the afternoon is worth highlighting. At 93 years old, and with 80 years of experience in music, Fernando Rolim went on stage to receive the Gold Medal of the City, and left a message: “never stop learning and listening, but don’t stop listening to references from the past, because without references we lose our identity”.
Yesterday, everyone, without exception, honored Coimbra and thanked the city.
There were many distinctions and compliments handed out yesterday during the celebration of Coimbra's municipal holiday, which brought people from various areas, from culture to leadership, teaching and even dedication to public service, to the stage of the Sala D. Afonso Henriques. There were 60 personalities and institutions distinguished during yesterday afternoon.
The merits of various kinds were remembered, praised, honored and distinguished there. The choices were all announced in advance, but they were nonetheless worthy of long applause.
There were also many speeches throughout the afternoon, but it was José Manuel Silva, Mayor of Coimbra, who brought this festive day to a close. His first words were addressed to all those being honoured. “Your merit is a reflection of the city we want to be: active, supportive, creative, enterprising, cultured and deeply human. Each of you has contributed, in your own way, to making Coimbra a better, fairer and more vibrant city,” he said.
This was followed by an analysis of what has been done and what still needs to be done, and this was the defining aspect of his speech. He stressed that the executive he leads is driven by something very clear: “to accelerate the development of Coimbra, with transformative projects and investing in the municipality’s urban planning – a programme that requires an eight-year term of government for the results to be clearly visible”. In the mayor’s opinion, it is easy to understand that it is impossible to solve, in just four years, all the problems of a city that had low revenues and little relevant investment capacity”.
And so, he also took the opportunity to reveal some of the investment that they have “focused” on attracting. “Six multinationals have already set up shop in Coimbra (another two have already chosen Coimbra), we have sold all the free business spaces, we have worked hard on expanding iParque (an additional 19.2 hectares, corresponding to 11 new lots), we are creating an industrial zone in Souselas and we have created a fast track for investment, having created hundreds of new jobs”.
And, continuing to present what has been done, José Manuel Silva spoke about the restructuring of the municipality, the digitalization of procedures and the fact that they have started to “meet deadlines”, leading to an increase in the area of licensed housing in recent years.
In the morning, the local authority opened an exhibition at the old Coimbra Cidade station, but in the afternoon, the space that houses it was highlighted by the mayor. This is because the “high-speed” project “will transform the old station into an international quality intermodal central station, creating a new urban hub of the highest quality”. And speaking of mobility, José Manuel Silva did not forget the Metro Bus project which, in his words, his executive has accelerated. “Currently, the citizens of Coimbra are already beginning to see a requalified city. We will have a means of transport with all the characteristics of a metro, a project that will extraordinarily improve the environment in urban areas. The underground works are also of paramount importance, as they will separate waste water and rainwater, prevent flooding and provide Coimbra with new technical pipes and gutters, avoiding, perhaps in the next 50 years, constant ruptures and repair works on the tracks”, he stated.
One day after the Coimbra Invest Summit ended, José Manuel Silva stated that “aware that culture and creative industries are one of the driving forces behind Coimbra’s development”, the executive he leads has tripled investment in culture and tourism. He did not forget the (major) concerts that have been held at the Estádio Cidade de Coimbra, nor Cineway, the first certified Portuguese incubator dedicated exclusively to the film and audiovisual sector, which was announced on Thursday and, in his words, “will further affirm Coimbra as a city of culture and cinema”.
José Manuel Silva also spoke about many figures. The numbers of the population that grew in the last four years, the companies that were distinguished, those that were established, the construction area and the percentage of the construction area. It was a sum of what was achieved in the last four years, which added to the countless achievements of all those who went up on stage during the afternoon to be recognized.
And speaking of numbers, one of the highlights of the afternoon is worth highlighting. At 93 years old, and with 80 years of experience in music, Fernando Rolim went on stage to receive the Gold Medal of the City, and left a message: “never stop learning and listening, but don’t stop listening to references from the past, because without references we lose our identity”.
Yesterday, everyone, without exception, honored Coimbra and thanked the city.
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