The Monocle Minute

When Lisbon hosted Monocle for its inaugural Quality of Life Conference in 2015, it felt as though the city was on the brink of something. After emerging from a recession, things were starting to look up in Portugal. The businesses that had pulled through were getting on their feet again and a new generation of entrepreneurs was rising through the ranks. One such pioneer, Catarina Portas, opened A Vida Portuguesa, a shop that showcased the best of Portuguese craft and bricks-and-mortar retail. At the conference, she spoke passionately about the need to reinvent the high street. Since then, she has opened more shops in the city.

But yesterday, Lisboetas and foreigners who have passed through A Vida Portuguesa were saddened to hear that despite its success, its original location on the rapidly changing Rua Anchieta will close down next spring to give way to a business that’s geared towards tourism. “It’s a completely absurd situation,” says Portas. “There are whole streets filled with just restaurants and hotels.” As shocking as the news is, it isn’t exactly a surprise; almost a third of the original shops in downtown Lisbon have now shuttered due to similar pressures. “Tourism was a solution many years ago but now it’s killing the diversity of our commerce,” she adds. “It’s not about pointing fingers at any specific group; it’s a matter of balance.”

But Portas isn’t giving up the fight for a healthy high street. Following the announcement, she has worked on getting town hall to reflect on the state of commerce in the city. “There needs to be better control of the businesses that are opening, as well as help to protect existing commerce from soaring rents,” she says. “It’s important that we start talking about it.” Let’s hope her efforts are successful – as things stand, Lisbon’s high streets are for everything but “the Portuguese life”.

Gaia Lutz is Monocle’s Lisbon correspondent. For more opinion, analysis and insight, subscribe to Monocle today.

Vladimir Putin held his annual end-of-year press conference and telephone call-in yesterday. “While the event was astonishingly tedious, Putin tried to demonstrate empathy for the Russian people and his prowess as a war leader,” Mark Galeotti, political analyst and author of Putin’s Wars: From Chechnya to Ukraine, tells The Monocle Minute.

Amid what appeared to be choreographed questions from the public, the most talked-about topic was Russia’s war in Ukraine and the need to continue it. “Putin treats the war as though it is the weather; something that you have to endure rather than do anything about,” adds Galeotti. But not everyone is convinced. This week, Bulgarian lawmakers took the first steps to end a sanctions exemption on Russian oil. The decision to scrap the policy, which has raised millions of euros for Russia, is yet another setback for Putin, despite his apparent resolve to the rest of the world.

Looking for the perfect present this holiday season? Then let us inspire you with our Advent gift guide. Every day until Christmas, we will be showcasing one item featured in our Alpino newspaper, which is out now in kiosks and available from our online shop.

Table lamp by Bocci
Vancouver-based studio Bocci’s has handcrafted, round table lamps that will cast a warm glow through their glass spheres.
bocci.com

A guard patrols Poland’s ancient Białowieża Forest, Europe’s largest primeval woodland on the border with Belarus, Russia’s closest ally. The picture is part of Monocle’s report on a region that is now a focal point for Europe’s divisions. To find out more, pick up a copy of our winter newspaper Alpino, which is out now.

We investigate what effect the urban environment has on city dwellers’ mental health, from high stress to increased isolation, and explore some of the ways in which cities can provide a solution to these problems.