Local elections have brought new leadership to Portugal's municipalities — and with
it, a chance to clear one of the main obstacles to the housing crisis: proper enforcement of the Land Law (Lei dos Solos). That is the argument made by Rafael Ascenso, Founder and Partner at Porta da Frente Christie's, in an opinion piece for Executive Digest.
Rafael Ascenso acknowledges that municipalities already hold the legal tools to rezone land swiftly, increasing the amount of land available for new construction. In practice, though, they remain one of the main brakes on the system: a lack of standardised procedures and coordination between administrative departments creates, in his words, a "bureaucratic maze" that holds back urban development.
His call is direct: in this post-election moment, every municipality should take an active role in simplifying bureaucracy and speeding up land-management processes, as a way of tackling the shortage of housing supply.
Published in Executive Digest, January 8, 2026.
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