Infrastructures and Development: impacts of future public projects on Palmela municipality

Palmela is one of Lisbon Metropolitan Area eighteen municipalities and the biggest in extension with 462,8 km2. Located on Tagus left-bank, in Setúbal Peninsula sub-region (NUT III), Palmela have been for centuries a rural municipality and more recently, since the 1960’s, a periurban and suburban area. Agriculture has been for years the most significant economic activity, nevertheless, industry became the main economic activity, both in terms of product and employment, specially since the working of AutoEuropa car factory in the 1990’s, which represents around 2% of Portugal’s GDP and 10% of the exports. In the next years Palmela will be in the center of the most important public projects and infrastructures to be built in Portugal.