Cross-Persona Dialogue: The Housing Crisis

Participants

Catarina Silva, 34, Single Mother (Lisbon suburbs)
Tyler Richardson, 34, Digital Nomad (Lisbon)

Setting

A playground in Graça, Lisbon. Catarina is watching her daughter; Tyler is nearby, working on his laptop at a café table with a view. They end up in conversation when Catarina's daughter runs near his table.

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.

Post-Dialogue Reflection

What Was Revealed

Catarina's anger is systemic, not personal—she distinguishes between Tyler as a person and Tyler as symbol of displacement. Her eviction is not Tyler's fault directly, but the system that benefits him harms her.

Tyler's position is uncomfortable self-awareness—he benefits from systems that hurt locals and doesn't know what to do about it. His desire for "authentic" Lisbon contradicts his role in erasing it.

Common Ground

Both value authentic community
Both recognize the system is broken
Both can separate individuals from structures
Both want Lisbon to remain livable

Irreconcilable Tensions

Tyler's market power enables Catarina's displacement
"Good intentions" don't undo structural effects
What benefits Tyler directly harms Catarina
There's no individual solution—only policy can address it

What Would Need to Change

For justice: Short-term rental regulation; housing supply expansion; income-based protections for residents; reform of golden visa/investment programs; Tyler's willingness to support policies that cost him personally; structural change that doesn't depend on individual virtue.

~1,000 words