Lisbon Criticised for Closing Green Spaces Over Fire Fears in Heat

A newspaper commentary published in Público this week questions why Lisbon authorities are restricting public access to parks and green spaces during hot spells, citing fears of wildfires, while doing nothing to limit exposure to the city’s hottest paved areas. The piece argues this approach removes exactly the kind of cool, shaded refuges that residents need most when temperatures spike.

Why closing parks worries residents in a heatwave

City and forestry authorities in Portugal often restrict access to wooded or scrub areas when fire danger is rated high, a precaution more commonly associated with rural forests than urban parks. The commentary points out that applying this logic within Lisbon means shutting off green corridors and tree-covered squares precisely during the heatwaves when people most need somewhere cool to walk, sit or exercise.

Unlike rural pine or eucalyptus plantations, many urban green spaces have limited fuel load and are surrounded by roads, buildings and irrigation, making large-scale fire spread far less likely. Critics argue that treating them the same way as forest land ignores this difference and produces a policy that looks cautious but is poorly targeted.

The ‘heat island’ spaces nobody is closing

The piece highlights the contradiction of leaving hard, paved, sun-exposed plazas and streets — the parts of the city that trap and radiate the most heat — fully open to the public, even as tree-covered parks nearby are fenced off. These heat islands are consistently the areas where temperatures feel most extreme and health risks from heat stress are highest.

For foreign residents unfamiliar with how Portuguese municipalities manage fire risk, this may seem like an odd inversion: the safer, cooler option is restricted while the more punishing urban environment remains freely accessible. The commentary frames this mismatch as a clear case of climate maladaptation — a well-meaning rule that ends up increasing overall harm.

What this means for anyone relying on Lisbon’s parks to cool down

For expats, retirees and remote workers who use Lisbon’s gardens and tree-lined squares as informal cooling shelters during summer, sudden closures can remove a key coping tool with little warning. Anyone planning outdoor routines around green spaces during hot weather should be aware that access can be curtailed on short notice when fire-risk warnings are issued, regardless of how urban or low-risk the specific location actually is.