European Network Feasibility Study Launch: Using the CLT Approach to Renovate Self-Built Neighborhood Cova da Moura (Portugal)

This event was part of the 2026 Global Community Land Trust (CLT) Virtual Summit. Explore the full program and register for more events here.

The European Community Land Trust Network hosted a roundtable to launch a new feasibility study exploring the use of the CLT model to secure tenure and support the renovation of the self-built neighborhood of Cova da Moura in Lisbon, Portugal.

Developed through collaboration between the Cova da Moura Neighborhood Commission, ISCTE University, and international partners, the study examines how CLTs can be applied in a European context to enable community-led renovation. The session presented key findings across legal, financial, participatory, and urban planning dimensions, while situating the project within broader European policy frameworks, including the Renovation Wave.

Speakers also reflected on the role of CLTs in addressing risks of displacement during renovation processes and their potential to provide long-term affordability, housing security, and social impact. Drawing on examples from Lisbon and beyond, the discussion connected local experience to wider debates on sustainable and equitable urban transformation in Europe.

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Speakers

Ricardo Carneiro, Estúdio Periférico, Architect and Researcher

Ricardo Carneiro is an architect, urban planner, and right-to-housing activist, and co-founder of Estúdio Periférico, a Lisbon-based collective working across architecture, urbanism, planning, housing, and urban policy. He holds a degree in Architecture from the University of Lisbon (FAUL). Alongside its practice, the studio maintains dedicated lines of work in timber construction and in the research and development of community-led, non-speculative housing models.

Joana Pestana Lages, DINÂMIA’CET–Iscte – Centre for Socioeconomic and Territorial Studies, Architect and Researcher

Joana Pestana Lages is an architect and researcher at DINÂMIA’CET–Iscte – Centre for Socioeconomic and Territorial Studies. She holds a degree in Architecture and a PhD in Urbanism from the University of Lisbon. Her research bridges Architecture and the Social Sciences, advancing participatory and research-by-design approaches to housing precarity, the right to housing, and spatial justice, with a particular focus on urban diversity and inequality.

Dali Malnoury, Community Land Trust Brussels, Advocacy & Project Officer

Dali Malnoury (he/him) works at the Community Land Trust Brussels. Trained as a political scientist, he is passionate about participatory democracy and the governance of commons. In his ongoing projects Upcycling Trust and AREC, he aims to develop replicable solutions to use energy renovation as a leverage for creating affordable housing while strengthening local communities.

Valentin Vaudoux, Rennes Métropole, Upcycling Trust Project Manager

Valentin Vaudoux is Project Manager for the European “Upcycling Trust” project at Rennes Métropole, where he works on building reuse, urban regeneration, and strategies for energy renovation and affordable housing. His work focuses on transforming existing building stock, particularly in degraded condominiums and priority neighbourhoods, and on developing permanently affordable housing models through the French “Bail Réel Solidaire”, inspired by Community Land Trust principles.

Before joining Rennes Métropole in 2025, he worked on housing rehabilitation and urban renewal projects with local authorities, focusing on degraded housing and neighbourhood improvement strategies. His interests focus on the connections between urban regeneration, social inclusion, energy transition, and long-term housing affordability.

Rylan Shewmaker, European Community Land Trust Network, Research and Innovation Lead

Event Organizer

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