By the end of the twentieth century, Castelo Branco highlights an atmosphere of material and socioeconomic prosperity, while presenting itself as an island in a vast territory in desertification, with limited interaction with the surrounding regional and suburban centres, both in Portugal and Spain.

In a context of making good use of new accessibilities, enhancing the road and rail ways, Castelo Branco, at the southern end of Guarda – Covilhã – Fundão – Castelo Branco urban/regional axel, may play the role of an intermediate city in relation with the Spanish urban centres network (Alcantara and specially Caceres) and with the regional centres next to it to the South: Portalegre and with greater intensity, Abrantes/Tomar/Torres Novas, Entroncamento. Therefore, Castelo Branco has to equip itself and renovate in terms of infrastructure and simultaneously create an image and a profile, which launch the city beyond the sub-regional limits, while reinforcing the sense of belonging and pride to the people of Castelo Branco.

The Programme Castelo Branco 2020 consists of a limited set of interventions expected to leverage a process for the city’s regeneration towards its functionality, image and urban environment recovery. These features will naturally provide Castelo Branco with greater competitiveness in the areas that matter for the city’s projection and that should have for priority properties the strength and the good income level, whether related to industry, trade or services, public sector or the private sector.