The Vizinhos em Lisboa Association, which has previously proposed measures for the old post office landmarks and, more recently, for the restoration of the crowns in Eduardo VII Park, is back in action with yet another initiative aimed at giving “new life” to the old Portugal Telecom (PT) phone booths.
True relics of the past, these “ghost booths” can still be found on some streets in Lisbon today, and most of them show signs of complete abandonment and disrepair.
What’s the story?
If you walk around Lisbon regularly, you’ve probably already come across these metal and glass (sometimes plastic) structures, many of which have been vandalized and damaged.
These old phone booths, which were widely used before the advent of cell phones, are now veritable “scars” on the urban landscape, showing visible signs of neglect that contrast with the image of a capital city striving to be increasingly modern and vibrant.
Just like the old CTT mailboxes, these PT phone booths are also objects of urban nostalgia (who doesn’t recognize them?), but the truth is that today they pose a problem for public space management, accumulating trash and falling into such disrepair that they seriously damage Lisbon’s image.
Proposals from the “neighborhood”
Looking at examples from our European neighbors, we know it’s possible to turn this problem into an opportunity to serve the entire surrounding community, as well as visitors to the city.
In the United Kingdom, just to give one example, the iconic red phone booths have taken on new, creative forms and have now been transformed into small libraries or cell phone charging stations.
This is where the Vizinhos em Lisboa Residents’ Association steps in once again . Through a civic initiative , it has already asked the Lisbon City Council and MEO (currently responsible for these booths) to urgently remove these booths from Lisbon’s streets to free up pedestrian walkways or, alternatively, to repurpose them, for example:
- Wi-Fi hotspots ;
- Charging stations for cell phones or electronic devices;
- Mini-libraries, similar to the reading booths already found in Parque das Nações.
We, who love our city like no one else, fully support these ideas, which—if they come to fruition—will allow for the revitalization of this urban infrastructure, not only from an aesthetic standpoint but, above all, in terms of utility, replacing the current image of neglect with innovative measures that will truly benefit all citizens and tourists alike .
However, as we just saw in one of the most recent videos (posted on August 19) by Lisbon Mayor Carlos Moedas, it doesn’t look like that’s what’s going to happen.
What do you think of the idea of getting rid of these phone booths once and for all , just to have “more” space in the city?
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