Skip Navigation

Archaeology and Land-use Planning

Nowadays, Archaeology is regarded as a territorial resource, whereas the archaeological activity is a territorial management tool. It constantly has to bear in mind scientific and heritage values as well as other territorial transforming agents. By promoting a rational land use and a sustainable management of resources, land-use planners pursue a multidisciplinary task involving studying and planning. Archaeology plays an important role in this process by integrating and enhancing heritage resources.

As a matter of fact, in the current national town and country planning policy, consisting of an organized system using territorial management instruments (TMI), the archaeological heritage is regarded as a territorial resource that is particularly important for collective memory and identity. As a result, TMIs lay down measures for the protection and enhancement of the heritage, thereby ensuring their integrity and the use of the surrounding areas.

One of the priorities of the Directorate-General for Cultural Heritage and the Cultural Regional Directorates is to develop an integrated heritage policy that will promote the Archaeology/Land-use binomial. This includes making plans and promoting their implementation as far as safeguarding, studying, enhancing and disseminating the heritage is concerned.


Palácio Nacional da Ajuda
1349-021 Lisboa
T. +351 21 361 42 40


Lei de bases da política e do regime de protecção e valorização do Património Cultural Lei 107/2001 de 8 de setembro

Regime jurídico da política de ordenamento do território e de urbanismo - Decreto-lei 46/2009 de 20 de fevereiro