The article analyzes the development model of Castelo Branco and Beira Baixa, a region that the author considers has become a kind of "national capital" of what nobody wants in their backyard. The regional strategy is described as based on the availability of space: Beira Baixa receives what needs distance, vast terrain, or what encounters resistance in other territories — from large solar production areas to waste management infrastructure.
The concrete example presented is the proposal to expand the Non-Hazardous Industrial Waste Landfill in Castelo Branco, which aims to increase disposal capacity from approximately 488,000 to 639,000 tons through a third cell. The environmental association Zero issued a negative opinion on the project, considering it "clearly illegal" for foreseeing the admission of organic waste without respecting applicable legal rules.
The author criticizes political language that transforms any project into "investment" and any infrastructure into "progress," questioning how many jobs are created, what qualifications they require, how long they last, and what value they leave in the local economy. He argues that accepting all projects without criteria transforms the municipal executive into a "real estate agency for the territory" instead of an organ with the responsibility to protect long-term collective interest.
The article concludes that Castelo Branco does not need to accept everything offered to it, but rather to define what it truly wants to be — needing companies with knowledge, value-added industry, innovation, and jobs that keep people rooted. The region needs to move from the logic of "availability" to the logic of "ambition," setting priorities and having the courage to reject unsuitable projects.
