SAAL was a state housing program created in Portugal after the 1974 Revolution, with the aim of addressing the country's housing shortage. It promoted self-management and popular participation in the construction and improvement of housing.
Problems and Purpose
The SAAL - Serviço de Apoio Ambulatório Local (Local Ambulatory Support Service) was a housing policy created in August 1974, in a post-revolutionary period marked by great dynamism and popular demands. It emerged in response to the serious housing shortages inherited from four decades of dictatorship and exacerbated in the early days of democracy, especially in large urban centers. In a context marked by a deficit of 600,000 units and the great precariousness of living conditions [1], SAAL aimed to place the population at the center of the discussion, action, and initiative for the transformation of their own neighborhoods.
Background History and Context
The recognition of housing problems in Portugal is not recent. During the First Republic (1910-1926) and the Estado Novo (1933-1974), social and public housing policies were implemented, but they always fell short of providing a real solution to the problem [2]. In fact, the problem worsened. As a result of a late industrialization process and the precariousness of rural areas, there was a rural exodus to large cities, particularly Lisbon, in the 1960s. This phenomenon resulted in the proliferation of shacks, informal settlements, and degraded and overcrowded buildings [3]. The scale of the problem reached new proportions when, after April 25, 1974 – the date that marks the Revolution and the end of the dictatorship – emigrants and exiles returned to the country, along with hundreds of thousands of citizens from the former colonies. This event caused enormous demographic pressure,and many newcomers settled in shanty towns, which consisted of precarious, self-produced housing made of low-quality materials [4].
Official data from the early 1970s indicated the existence of 31,110 precarious dwellings in the national territory. Of a total of 2,164,965 households, 35.7% did not have electricity, 52.9% did not have a water supply, and 70% were not served by a sewage system. Of the 2,224,020 families surveyed, 37.4% lived in a space without electricity, 54.2% without a water supply, and 70.8% did not have homes equipped with sanitary facilities [5].
It is against this backdrop, in a context of great social unrest in which popular actions and movements demanding better living conditions proliferated, that the decree establishing SAAL was promulgated on August 6, 1974. Its first paragraph defined its purpose as supporting, as quickly as possible, and “through the municipal councils, the initiatives of poorly housed populations to collaborate in the transformation of their own neighborhoods, investing their own latent and, eventually, monetary resources.” SAAL was created within the Fundo de Fomento da Habitação (Housing Development Fund) - a structure created in 1969 - and was intended for the working classes residing in neighborhoods with precarious housing, aiming to safeguard their right to housing, as well as their right to a place, prioritizing resettlement near their place of residence. It also encouraged self-construction and financial investment by residents. In order to promote direct and participatory democracy, the program adopted a bottom-up model, giving voice to the underprivileged population, and placing them at the center of discussion, action, and initiative [4].
Organizing, Supporting, and Funding Entities
SAAL was organized into three delegations: SAAL/Norte, SAAL/Lisboa e Centro-Sul, e SAAL/Algarve. Operations were promoted by residents organized in cooperatives, commissions or associations, and technical brigades, composed of various workers, including many young architects, with the support of the Municipal Councils. Funding was primarily the responsibility of the State, through the Fundo de Fomento da Habitação, and the collaboration of the municipalities was foreseen, which were to bear the costs of road and sanitation infrastructure.
Participant Recruitment and Selection
SAAL was intended for the working class residing in neighborhoods with precarious housing, organized into housing associations and cooperatives.
Methods and Tools Used
In order to promote direct and participatory democracy, SAAL adopted a bottom-up model. The initiative was to come from the residents, who were placed at the center of the action and discussion. Organized into housing associations and cooperatives, the residents subsequently received technical assistance from the municipalities and the Fundo de Fomento da Habitação, whose action was to include a land dimension, support in project development, assistance in construction operations, and social management. Self-management and self-organization were prioritized.
What Went On: Process, Interaction, and Participation
In October 1976, when SAAL underwent a drastic change of direction, bringing its cycle to an end, it had involved a universe of 41,665 families, organized into 14 Popular Housing Cooperatives, 16 Residents' Committees and 128 Residents' Associations. There were also 118 Technical Brigades involved in supporting the residents, composed of more than a thousand workers [4].
Influence, Outcomes, and Effects
At the time SAAL ended, 2259 housing units had been initiated, with the expectation of starting construction on 5741 houses in the short term. The 169 operations that had begun encompassed 41665 families.
Despite flaws being pointed out in the implementation phase of SAAL, with no operation completed during its period of validity [5], the program left a vast legacy in the country. Firstly, due to its pedagogical character, as it allowed the opening of a space for experimentation and innovation. Popular movements in urban areas were strengthened, contributing to the definition of contemporary local governance [6]. This pedagogical dimension also contributed to the enrichment of other experiences, such as the housing cooperative movement [7].
Internationally, SAAL has been the subject of numerous conferences and specialized publications, with emphasis on its architectural elements and its urban planning aspect. It also served as a launching pad for the internationalization of Portuguese architects such as Siza Vieira or Souto Moura, while at the same giving visibility to the country's modern architecture.
Its basic principles - namely, the active participation of the population in the planning, formulation, execution, and management of operations - have been widely recognized and are still a source of inspiration today. Five decades after the experience, SAAL continues to inspire participatory projects and policies at the local and national level. At the local level, initiatives such as the BIP/ZIP - Local Partnerships Program, promoted by the Lisbon City Council since 2011, reflect a connection to the principles advocated by SAAL [8]. The project 1.º Direito Project – Participatory Project in Disadvantaged Communities to Promote New Public Housing Developments, in the Municipality of Maia, also draws on the legacyof SAAL to involve disadvantaged communities in the design of new housing developments. At the national level, the Iniciativa Bairros Críticos (Critical Neighborhoods Initiative) and the Programa Bairros Saudáveis (Healthy Neighborhoods Program) stand out.
Analysis and Lessons Learned
SAAL emerged in the midst of a unique context in the history of Portugal. The initiative was closely linked to the revolutionary period, marked by great dynamism in demands and action, and popular by a form of popular voluntarism imbued with a socialist spirit.
Despite the evident urgency of addressing the housing issue, SAAL encountered several obstacles to its implementation. Its fragile and sometimes ambiguous formulation, together with the lack of legislation and regulatory frameworks, led to difficulties of various kinds. The lack of coordination among some of the actors contributed to weakening SAAL, which, in the political changes emerging after November 25, 1975 - a moment that symbolizes the epilogue of revolutionary ambitions - saw the beginning of its end.
In short, SAAL aimed to address the country's serious housing shortages by including residents in the process of building their communities, placing them at the center of initiative, discussion, and action. While it may not have provided a definitive solution to the problem, it fostered a sense of belonging and integration among the most disadvantaged segments of the population. Above all, SAAL's legacy lies in its educational contribution, as well as in its urban planning and architectural dimensions, which sparked considerable international interest and served as a launching pad for several Portuguese architects.Finally, its legacy endures in the form of participatory policies and projects implemented throughout the country at various scales.
References
[1] Alves, J. B. (2017, 23 de abril). Processo SAAL. AbrilAbril. https://www.abrilabril.pt/processo-saal.
[2] Agarez, R. C. (2020). A Habitação Apoiada em Portugal. Fundação Francisco Manuel
dos Santos.
[3] Vilaça, E. (2001). O “estado da habitação”: medidas sem política num país adiado.
CIDADES, Comunidades e Territórios. Lisboa.
[4] Antunes, G. (2018). Políticas de Habitação - 200 anos. Caleidoscópio.
[5] Bandeirinha, J. A. (2007). O Processo SAAL e a Arquitectura no 25 de Abril de 1974.
Imprensa da Universidade de Coimbra.
[6] Portas, N. (1986). O processo SAAL: entre o Estado e o poder local. Revista
Crítica de Ciências Sociais, 18/19/20, 635–644.
[7] Pereira, G. M. (2014). SAAL: Um programa de habitação popular no processo
revolucionário. In Revista Da FLUP, IV Série, Vol. 4, (pp. 13–31). Porto.
[8 ]Falanga, R. (2020). Formulating the success of citizen participation in urban regeneration: Insights and perplexities from Lisbon. Urban Research & Practice, 13(5), 477–499.
External Links
https://anarchaeologyofutopia.com/pt/map
https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Servi%C3%A7o_de_Apoio_Ambulat%C3%B3rio_Local
