Through its Tutors Programme, Cascais has built a permanent model of civic co-responsibility where residents actively monitor and co-manage their neighbourhoods, gardens, and beaches.
EVERY CORNER OF CASCAIS HAS SOMEONE LOOKING AFTER IT
One of the deepest challenges in local democracy is moving beyond consultation towards genuine shared responsibility. The Cascais Tutors Programme does exactly this. Residents take on the role of tutors of their neighbourhoods, community gardens, and beaches, monitoring and reporting issues related to cleanliness, waste collection, green spaces, and public safety. Rather than waiting for problems to be flagged by municipal services, citizens become the first line of awareness, creating a direct and continuous link between communities and local government.
PERMANENT, CITY-WIDE AND BUILT INTO DAILY LIFE
Most participation mechanisms are episodic and consultative. This one is neither. The programme operates permanently across more than 90% of the municipality, with over 252 active tutors combining their local knowledge with the operational capacity of municipal services through real-time reporting and direct communication. Co-responsibility is not treated as an occasional gesture but as an ongoing governance function, embedded into how the city is managed day to day. It is participation that actually changes how things work.
CITIZENS AND CITY HALL WORKING AS ONE
The numbers reflect something deeper than efficiency. A 98% resolution rate of reported issues shows what happens when citizens and municipal services work continuously together rather than in parallel. Beyond the operational results, the programme strengthens civic responsibility, environmental awareness, and social cohesion across the municipality. By trusting residents with a real and permanent role in managing their city, Cascais has built a model of local democracy that is active, practical, and genuinely shared.
