Rebuilding in Alfama

This is a letter I received in my mailbox, calling people's attention to a large hotel being built outside Alfama, and which will occupy the place of 5 buildings, which are at the moment half in ruins.

It is true that buildings in ruins honour nobody, and that it is good that the initiative is there, but what is questioned is the size of the building approved, a 7 floor hotel with 182 rooms, with four times the size of what stands there now! This will naturally affect Alfama's normal daily life, with all the people coming and staying there.

Looking at the way those buildings are now makes me sad .... but imagining such a large building there even sadder! There should be a half way solution. I understand that this is private property, and that outside people's opinion does not count much, more even if we are talking about money invested, but the city hall must have some common sense in analysing the project.

Alfama has such a consistent atmosphere, unique in Lisboa, which has survived "development" over the centuries, and should be preserved. Like any other such things, once this gets started, there is no way going back ...