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Quinta da Fonte, a housing project outside Lisbon, was the scene of clashes between rival gangs in July. Several apartments were wrecked.

Even though crime statistics haven't changed over the past few months, fears over safety are growing. Maria, one of the area’s 3,000 residents, explains that the young people loitering in the streets frighten her: “They're children, young people under the age of 25. People of 40 have a routine: work-house, house-work.”

Over the coming weeks, a new local police service is due to be introduced here. Meanwhile, officers are on the beat 24 hours a day and the streets are quiet again. “Our constant aim is to identify people's problems, gather information, and guarantee that there is always a police presence in the area to prevent trouble”, explains Rui Costa, chief of police in Quinta da Fonte.

Mauro, 22, grew up in this district. A big hip-hop fan who writes his own songs, he is a social worker at Quinta da Fonte. The illiteracy rate here is 21%. Unemployment stands at 20%. But he refuses to be daunted: “You can really see the results of the social work that's been done here in the past three or four years. What youngsters mainly lack when they're facing difficulties is more opportunities, and more self-confidence.”

A new scheme targeting unemployed youngsters was put in place in September. “We've set up a scheme allocating micro-credits. The idea is that residents can open up a bakery, a hair salon, a shoe repair place… local businesses like that”, said Dalila Araujo, General Secretary of the Lisbon Metropolitan Area. “It's essential. It's going to create jobs, re-build people's confidence, and that's going to give the whole district a boost.”

The local secondary school is also taking part in the project. "We want to achieve some kind of commercial balance in Quinta da Fonte, by which the area's products go to its inhabitants, but are also sold outside. We need to bring money into Quinta da Fonte, and we need that money to be circulating within the area", insists Felix Bolanos, Director of the Quinta da Fonte school.

Still unaccustomed to dealing with urban problems, Portugal is facing a fresh challenge. Judging by the schemes developing here, Quinta da Fonte could be an effective breeding-ground for future equal-opportunity policies.