In a neighbourhood shaped by independent commerce, creativity, art and culture, there is also a dimension that often goes unnoticed: the older people who live, move through and form part of the everyday identity of the Bombarda District.
A project to connect generations in the neighbourhood
The earliest ideas for Bombarda Maior were initially imagined as a local task-sharing programme called “Mãos à Obra!” (“Hands to Work!”), integrated within the Bombarda Digital ecosystem. Through a digital platform, the idea aimed to connect older people with the day-to-day life of local businesses and neighbourhood dynamics.
However, as the project evolved and was confronted with what truly defines Bombarda — a territory shaped by openness, closeness and strong community engagement — it quickly became clear that it could (and should) become something much greater.
It was precisely this vision that led Bombarda Maior to join the social innovation programme of LabIS — the Social Innovation Laboratory of Porto City Council — where, after several stages of selection among hundreds of proposals submitted across the city, it became one of only five pilot projects to be supported.
Throughout this journey, the team at Associação Quarteirão Criativo received specialised training in social innovation and impact measurement, alongside continuous mentoring, guidance and capacity-building provided by LabIS. This process helped strengthen the project, test methodologies and deepen its potential for community transformation within the neighbourhood.
The word “Maior” itself — meaning “older,” but also “greater” — carries strong cultural significance in Porto. It is an expression deeply rooted in the city, often used with affection and familiarity, embracing meanings such as age, experience, wisdom, belonging and even greatness. And that is precisely what this project seeks to celebrate: the value of older people as a living, active and essential part of community life.
Through community activities, workshops, social gatherings, conversations, experiences in local establishments and intergenerational initiatives, Bombarda Maior seeks to create real opportunities for older people to actively participate in Bombarda’s creative ecosystem.
In this way, Bombarda Maior became much more than a programme of occasional collaboration or occupation. It evolved into the idea of a space for encounters between people, experiences and different ways of living the city — a project deeply connected not only to Bombarda’s identity, but also to the identity of Porto itself: a city built on relationships, proximity and community.
At the same time, the project also aims to reinforce the role of local commerce as a space for connection, relationships and community. Because a neighbourhood is shaped not only by its shops and events, but also by the relationships it creates between those who live in it and those who experience it every day.
A pilot project coming to life
Over the past year, Bombarda Maior has gradually taken its first steps through a series of pilot actions that helped test formats, create connections and involve the local community.
The project began by inviting Bombarda shopkeepers and local spaces to become part of this collective experience, encouraging them to open their doors to older participants through small experiences, conversations and neighbourhood-based activities.
The response quickly revealed something important: there is willingness, openness and genuine interest in imagining Bombarda not only as a creative district, but also as a place of care, closeness and intergenerational connection.
At the same time, an open call was launched for older people interested in joining the project and becoming part of this collective neighbourhood-building process.
Rethinking more inclusive cities
One of the initiatives integrated into Bombarda Maior’s journey was the Cidades Maiores (“Greater Cities”) gathering, which brought themes such as active ageing, community participation and the role of creativity in building more inclusive cities to the centre of the conversation.
The session opened space for reflection on how urban territories can create real opportunities for involvement across generations, reinforcing the importance of thinking about neighbourhoods as human ecosystems rather than simply functional spaces.
Creating real encounters in the neighbourhood - “Bring Someone Maior” workshops
Bombarda Maior also began to take shape through moments of encounter and community-building within the neighbourhood itself. Through workshops, shared activities, conversations and informal experiences, small but meaningful connections started emerging between shopkeepers, residents, participants and Bombarda’s cultural spaces.
One of the symbolic moments of this pilot phase was the campaign “Traz Alguém Maior” (“Bring Someone Older”), which encouraged the community to invite older people to take part in neighbourhood activities, fostering intergenerational encounters and helping combat the social distance that often accompanies urban ageing.
More than isolated activities, these actions aimed to experiment with new forms of belonging and participation within the neighbourhood.
The role of Bombarda’s shopkeepers and local spaces
From the very beginning, local shopkeepers and spaces played an essential role in the development of Bombarda Maior. By offering their time, openness, listening and participation in pilot activities, many local establishments became part of a community network seeking to make Bombarda a more inclusive and relational territory.
Their involvement also demonstrates how local commerce can play an important role in neighbourhood life — not only as a place of consumption, but as a space for encounters, exchange and human connection.
In a creative district like Bombarda, this dimension becomes especially relevant: local spaces are also spaces of culture, conversation, experimentation and community-building.
A project that wants to keep growing
Although still in its pilot phase, Bombarda Maior has already revealed important signs of the potential to create new intergenerational relationships within the neighbourhood.
It has shown that there is willingness to participate. That older people are interested in actively reclaiming their place in city life. And that local commerce is ready to be part of this transformation.
The project is now imagining new possibilities for the future: more intergenerational experiences, deeper community involvement, more spaces for participation and new ways of bringing people together through creativity and neighbourhood life.
Because we believe that the most vibrant neighbourhoods are those where every generation has a place, where creativity can also become a way of caring for community.
And perhaps that is how Bombarda can become… Maior.
