Neoliberal urban governance and local empowerment: Unpacking the paradoxes of the BIP/ZIP programme in Lisbon

In the production and management of cities, the promotion of active citizenship has seen its rise despite the affirmation of the neoliberal model. This process was marked by the erasure of public powers in urban regulation and management and the creation of decentralisation and governance mechanisms for social and urban intervention. This article discusses this apparent contradiction, analysing the programme Bairros de Intervenção Prioritária/Zonas de Intervenção Prioritária (BIP/ZIP), developed by the Municipality of Lisbon (Portugal). The Programme aims, each year, to foster active citizenship, the capacity for self-organisation and the collective search for solutions to contribute to a positive image of deprived areas of Lisbon and create a favourable climate for entrepreneurship and local initiative. From an open call, proposals by local associations are approved according to their pertinence, receiving funding to promote social change connected to the programme objectives and thematic areas. Assessing the last thirteen editions of the BIP/ZIP, from 2011 to 2023, this article extracts data to reflect on the coherence between the results obtained and the initially defined objectives. Data analysed include stakeholders, total investments received, benefited areas and thematic areas. Drawing from this data, we discuss the lack of association between the problems identified during the delineating of the BIP/ZIP areas and the approved projects. The conclusions highlight that investments are concentrated in central neighborhoods, with associations frequently acting as partners in various proposals. . We argue that those results can be evidence of how these programmes might promote the capture of social capital.