While we were in Portugal, we had the opportunity to stay at the home of the Rocha family. The Rocha family does not live in a tourist area. They live in the Pinhal de Frades, near the suburban city of Amora, which is across the Tagus River from Lisbon. The street they live on is a simple one, albeit comparatively wealthy. Most housing districts in suburban Portugal are packed with highrise apartment buildings. Pinhal de Frades actually has some houses, and the Rocha family lives in one of these houses. By the Portuguese standard, the Rocha family is very well off. They have a home separate from another building with two levels, a very nice dining room, a full kitchen, a washing and drying machine, and a dish washer. All of these items seem very standard for American homes, but when most families live in small five room apartments in packed housing districts, the Rocha’s are very well off and live in a very well-to-do neighborhood.
The housing situation I observed there reinforced the urban population and transportation issues that Europe has to confront. The Pinhal is about a 30 minute walk from the nearest train station, but even so once the train comes, one is only 20 minutes from downtown Lisbon. The availability of public transport and the benefits that come from urban centralization outweigh the drawbacks of small living space. The Rochas and many Europeans have come to accept this. Even so, the Rocha family owns two cars and a greater measure of mobility – another symbol of their economic power. Portugal and many other European governments have been able to successfully devise a system that gives mobility to the masses and provides them with decent, albeit more cramped, housing.
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