Teófilo Braga Garden underwent intervention in 2025 as part of the restoration work on Praça da República.
The paved areas of the garden were reduced, thus increasing the extension of naturally permeable green spaces, having planted more than 13.000 shrubs and 200 trees.
The plantations include shrubs such as Holly (Ilex aquifolium) and Camellia (Camellia japónica, Camellia sasanqua), and trees such as Cedar (Cedrus deodara, Cedrus libani), Judas Tree (Cercis canadensis, Cercis siliquastrum), Japanese Walnut (Ginkgo biloba), Tulip Tree (Liriodendron tulipifera ‘Fastigiatum’), Magnolia (Magnolia denudata, Magnolia soulangeana), Cherry Tree (Prunus ‘Accolade’, Prunus ‘The Bride’), Oak Tree (Quercus palustris, Quercus robur ‘Fastigiata’), Lime Tree (Tilia tomentosa) and Red Maple (Acer rubrum).
As a result, Teófilo Braga Garden has been transformed into a vast open space that serves a range of environmental functions, such as CO₂ sequestration, promotion of biodiversity, thermal regulation, thereby mitigating the ‘heat island’ effect commonly found in urban centres, whilst also enhancing rainwater infiltration to prevent flooding and replenish the water table that sustains the city’s trees and plants.
The rehabilitation of this garden continues the project to restore and expand the city’s green spaces, an area classified as a priority within the municipal strategy, with a view to make the municipality more resilient to the impacts of climate change.
