While observing the historical center of Portimão, one can't help but notice the considerable number of closed shops, abandonned buildings or ruins. This is due to a consistent rural exodus, noticeable in all of the portuguese countryside - though slighly less in th Algarve. The lack of available activities, education and job possibilities forces young people to seek a life in the big city, and doesn't encourage people to invest in half-emptied centers like Portimão's. Instead, residential areas flourished in the periphery, in high-rise buildings and car parking paradise. The interest of the local town hall stops at the Zona Ribeirinha and the Rua do Comercio, the only lively areas where tourists mix with the locals. The village atmosphere of the pittoresque center of Portimão, since people with little money are the only ones living in it, is even sometimes considered of bad reputation. What if, instead of deploring the growing number of buldings falling into ruins, we saw it as an opportunity to bring life again and showcase Portimão's heritage? What if these testimonies of abandonnement were instead seen as potential starting points of a thriving community?