Portugal

Ermesinde, 6th March, 2008

Hello, dear inhabitants

I am the city of Ermesinde. I am your friend. I love you very much. I live in the North of Portugal, in the Porto region.
I am writing a bit cramped as there are a lot of Inhabitants and the space is small.

I am not in good health. I am sad.
Before, town planning was disorganized. Today, I am still a bit disorganized. For many years, people have only given me houses and more houses, roads and more roads. No parks. No leisure areas.
With the Mont de Santa Justa next door (although it's in the next city), planting trees and creating green areas wasn't seen as important.
So I have been reduced to a jungle of houses, without life or joy.
People have changed and so have attitudes. The population has increased and it has been necessary to find more green areas and organize construction. It is true that some spruces have been chopped down. But never mind, I'm not too depressed. Now I breathe better. Green areas have been created on my outskirts. I have more Sun and more Oxygen.
Thirty years ago I didn't feel good as waste from the outer suburbs of Porto were dumped on me. This was the time of Fertor. Now luckily, Lipor exists. We are in the middle of the recycling era and bad smells exist no more.

I need, for me and my inhabitants, more green areas, outdoor events, street booksellers, cycle paths, canteens and sports complexes for schools.

Public transport should have separate lanes to cars, more stops and more frequency. Every vehicle in my City should have two hybrid engines or simply work on solar energy. Some Inhabitants of my City have heard on the television about Global Warming of the Planet. We must act quickly....

The last present I received was the cleaning of my river. I was always uncomfortable because of my own smell. I remember that a long time ago children swam in my river and there were fish. Then the waste came, tyres, plastic, tin cans and I don't know what else... Now there are no children. But there is not much more needed.
Will I one day have fish and tortoises in my river?
Here are the names of some Inhabitants who want the best for me:
Alexandre Costa, Ana Gomes, Ana Ferreira, Ana Taveira, Catarina Monteiro, Daniela Monteiro, Gabriel Costa, Helena Macedo, Ismael Carvalho, Joana Reis, João Vieira, João Pereira, José Cunha, Marco Pinto, Natasha Peres, Rafaela Pinto, Sara Almeida, Sara Costa, Tatiana Dias and Tiago Moreira. They are all pupils in class 4N of Saibreiras school.
I would like the Inhabitants to be good for the City and cleaner, for them to pollute less and make less noise and less waste.
And as for me, I wish the City was cared for with love, tenderness and respect.

I wish you a long life and good health.

Your City
Ermesinde