When the future is captured by participation: Governance, resistance and planning dilemmas on Lisbon’s Violet Line

Source abstract

This article critically examines the role of public participation in advancing sustainable urban mobility, using the case of the Violet Line, a planned metro connection in the Lisbon Metropolitan Area. Initially conceived as a strategic application of financial resources under Portugal’s Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR), the initiative aimed to promote territorial cohesion, contribute to decarbonization and mitigate dependence on car transport. However, following a public consultation process marked by strong local opposition, particularly in the Infantado neighborhood, the final two stations were removed. Drawing on document analysis, interviews, and social media content, the study reveals how participation, while formally inclusive, was captured by vocal local interests at the expense of broader collective goals such as spatial justice and environmental sustainability. The paper argues that the absence of normative principles and structured deliberation weakened the participatory process, allowing localized resistance to undermine a metropolitan-scale intervention. It concludes that public engagement must be restructured around non-negotiable public interest anchors, representative inclusion mechanisms, and institutional clarity to truly serve the common good.