Within the sphere of city and spatial planning policies, the Serra Henriques Foundation develops initiatives programmed in partnerships with scholars, specialists and public entities that aim for a better understanding of the complexity of territorial management and depopulation, local development opportunities and urban dynamics.

The majority of the population lives in cities and the UN's and UE's urban agendas are pretty much disregarded at a local level. A big part of global problems originate at a regional scale, which highlights the importance of the way of "thinking globally and acting locally".

The though process of cities' architecture and sustainable urban development must simultaneously respect different dimensions: social reality, economic dynamics and cultural identity. It is therefore necessary that cities are thought and planned according to a development framework based on principles of cooperation and partnership between different levels and organizations.

In collaboration with the Portuguese Association of Urban Planners, with the municipalities of Oporto and Sintra, and the Institute of Public Management and Administration, the Foundation has carried-out two seminars dedicated to Territorial Plans and the Ibero-American Congress of Urban Planning. Following these events, Carta de Sintra and the book Society and Territory were published.

The city, which is regarded as a synonym of life in a community and social well-being, is, in the majority of cases, a place where problems concentrate with serious consequences regarding the interaction and the quality of live of the citizens.

It is through this approach and context that the Serra Henriques Foundation seeks to develop initiatives that stimulate cooperation, inter-municipal dynamics, the discussion around common and structural problems, the implementation of projects of mutual interest and a greater easiness of access and submission of applications to European funds.