Friday 28 de August de 2026 · Macaronesia
In São Nicolau, remittances from the diaspora sustain the building of family homes, but a lack of local buyers leaves a housing stock with many houses shut for…
Emigration to the United States and Europe has left a housing stock that stays shuttered most of the year.
The lack of high-capacity transport infrastructure means almost all building materials have to arrive by ferry or via the small airstrip.
The town council has approved a scheme to hand over municipal plots at reduced prices to families struggling to access housing.
The historic complex of the former Seminário-Liceu, the educational cradle of generations of Cape Verdeans, enters a phase of restoration.
The capital of São Nicolau is caught between the farming tradition of its neighbourhoods and an emerging nature tourism trade.
Emigrants from São Nicolau are investing their savings in restoring the family home, even though they only live in it a few weeks a year.
Environmental protection of the massif imposes strict building limits, reducing the value of neighbouring land.
In the farming areas at the foot of the massif, agricultural workers face an almost non-existent housing supply.
Access to a first home is a nearly insurmountable hurdle in a market with barely any small flats or houses for sale.
The coastal fishing town is starting to feel foreign buyers' interest in homes close to the harbour and the beach.