LAGOS
The Tours & More
The Urban Development of Lagos
Click here for an overview of the urban development of Lagos through the centuries — from the first settlement, the 1755 earthquake, and the rise of the canning industry, to the arrival of the railway, the construction of the Avenidas, and the latest developments around the harbor.
Architect José Veloso
Born in Lagos in 1930, José Veloso (1930–2021) graduated in Architecture from the Lisbon School of Fine Arts and returned to Lagos to open his own practice. He represented Portugal at the International Union of Architects congresses in 1967 (Czechoslovakia) and 1972 (Bulgaria).
Committed to the April Revolution’s principle of the Right to Housing, Veloso coordinated housing projects for the SAAL programme in the Algarve. His name is inseparably linked to the landmark collective housing project for the “Indians of Meia Praia” in Lagos.
As a member of the BLOCO cooperative, he focused on public facilities, municipal and cooperative housing across the Algarve and Alentejo. His work earned honorable mentions from the Housing Development Fund, selection by IPPAR, and recognition in the national Survey of 20th-Century Portuguese Architecture. In 2021, the Order of Architects awarded him honorary membership.
Beyond architecture, he published opinion pieces in the Algarve press and several books on local history, politics, and maritime culture.
Veloso dedicated his life to architecture, civic engagement, and the struggle for democracy, social progress, peace, and socialism.
