The Housing Crisis

Catarina: Beatriz, careful! Sorry—she gets excited.

Tyler: No problem. smiles Beautiful day for the park.

Catarina: sits nearby You're American?

Tyler: Yeah. California originally. Living in Lisbon for two years now.

Catarina: neutral Remote work?

Tyler: Tech consulting. I can work from anywhere, so... gestures at the view ...why not here?

Catarina: quiet Why not.

Tyler: picks up the tone That bothered you. What I said.

Catarina: considers No, it's just... different perspectives. You chose Lisbon. I was born here. But I'm being priced out, and you're part of the reason.

Tyler: sets laptop aside Okay. Tell me more. I want to understand.

Catarina: My apartment—where I grew up, where my daughter was born—is being sold. The building is becoming "tourist rentals." Short-term, Airbnb, whatever. I have until June to find somewhere else.

Tyler: And where will you go?

Catarina: I don't know. Everything in Lisbon is too expensive. Maybe Sintra. Maybe further. Maybe out of the city I've lived in my whole life.

Tyler: pause I'm sorry. That's genuinely terrible.

Catarina: The apartment next to mine was €400 when I moved in. Now it's listed at €1,200. For the same walls. The only thing that changed is... looks at him ...people like you arrived.

Tyler: I pay €1,800 for a one-bedroom. To me, that's cheap—San Francisco would be four times that. But I realize... to you, €1,800 is impossible.

Catarina: My salary is €1,100. Tell me how the math works.

Tyler: It doesn't. I see that. pause What do you want me to do? Leave?

Catarina: sighs I don't know. Part of me, yes. But you're not the problem—you're a symptom. The problem is policies that allowed this. Airbnb with no limits. Golden visas. Investment funds buying buildings. You're just... riding the wave.

Tyler: I try to spend money locally. I learn Portuguese. I'm not one of those who only lives in the expat bubble.

Catarina: That's nice. It doesn't help me find an apartment.

Tyler: acknowledging No. It doesn't.

Catarina: You know what frustrates me most? The politicians who allowed this. They wanted foreign money, foreign investment, "competitiveness." They got it. And Portuguese people got pushed to the margins of their own cities.

Tyler: The visa that lets me stay here—should they not offer it?

Catarina: Maybe they shouldn't. Or maybe they should, but with limits. Housing supply protected for residents. Taxes on vacant properties. Something.

Tyler: I'd support that. Even if it meant I paid more.

Catarina: looks at him Would you really?

Tyler: Honestly? Yes. I chose Lisbon because I love it. If Lisbon becomes a theme park where only tourists and remote workers can afford to live, it's not Lisbon anymore. It's... I don't know... a simulation.

Catarina: That's almost happening. My neighborhood—Mouraria—used to be families, shops, people who'd been there for generations. Now it's hostels, brunch places, luggage wheels on cobblestones all night.

Tyler: I've noticed. I stay away from those areas, mostly. Trying to find the "real" Lisbon.

Catarina: sharp laugh The "real" Lisbon is people like me getting eviction notices. That's as real as it gets.

Tyler: quiet I'm part of the problem. Even if I don't want to be.

Catarina: You are. And you aren't. You're a person making a reasonable choice given the options. The system is the problem. But the system is made of individual choices.

Tyler: So what should I choose?

Catarina: long pause I don't know. Maybe advocate for the changes that would make it fair. Maybe acknowledge that your presence has costs—not to feel guilty, but to understand. Maybe support housing policies even when they affect you.

Tyler: I can do that. pause I'm sorry you're losing your home.

Catarina: eyes wet Thank you. calls out Beatriz! Time to go. to Tyler Good luck in Lisbon. I hope you find the real one. I hope there's still one to find.