So, as a easy going, mellow and somewhat melancholic Portuguese-American, I’ve gotta say that I really enjoy Lisbon. I also *think* I agree with the sentiment of the author that AirBnB has taken over too many central neighborhoods. Another strange aspect of urban Portugal are the numerous abandoned buildings, which (I’m told) are more the result of (recently changed) inheritance laws and emigration than over-tourism.

Looking at the statistics, it seems that the metropolitan area of Lisbon is growing, but the city itself is not.

Is that due to increasing incomes and people not wanting to raise families in tiny flats in the Alfama? Or emigration out from Portugal to the wider EU, Canada and the US? The aforementioned abandoned buildings and old inheritance law?