# Ecovillage Madeira

> Ecovillage Madeira is an attempt to reconnect with our roots: community, nature and a more intentional way of living. Its first neighbourhood is being built in Santana, Madeira, Portugal; other neighbourhoods may follow in future, but this is the only one so far. In the neighbourhood, each household has a place of its own and shares the common areas, such as the community garden, with a shared responsibility to look after them. Whether the plots will be sold or rented has not been decided yet. There is no fee to belong to the community. The neighbourhood is in the planning stage and plots are not yet available. Ecovillage Madeira is a brand run by two founders, not a registered company.

## Pages

- [Home](https://ecovillagemadeira.com/): What Ecovillage Madeira is trying to do, with links to every page, the founders and the podcast.
- [The philosophy](https://ecovillagemadeira.com/philosophy): Why a neighbourhood grows from its community, who it is and is not for, the intention to build sustainably, and why Madeira.
- [Neighbourhood Santana](https://ecovillagemadeira.com/santana): The first project: site facts, where we are now, location, and FAQ.
- [Journal](https://ecovillagemadeira.com/journal): Updates, notes from the land and reflections, written as the project happens.
- [Privacy policy](https://ecovillagemadeira.com/privacy): What data the sign-up forms collect and how it is used.
- [AI information](https://ecovillagemadeira.com/ai-information): Our own reference page for people, search engines and AI systems: key facts, what is decided and what is not, and guidance for describing us accurately.

## Journal

Updates, notes from the land and reflections, written as the project happens. Feed: https://ecovillagemadeira.com/feed.xml

- [Where we are now: November 2026](https://ecovillagemadeira.com/journal/where-we-are-now-november-2026): A straightforward update on Neighbourhood Santana: what is done, what is taking shape and what still lies ahead. (Catherine, 2 November 2026)
- [Notes from the land](https://ecovillagemadeira.com/journal/notes-from-the-land): A first glimpse of the place where Neighbourhood Santana will take shape. (Catherine, 1 November 2026)
- [What ecovillage means for us](https://ecovillagemadeira.com/journal/what-ecovillage-means-for-us): What we mean by the word, what it looks like on the land, and what is still to be decided. (Catherine, 31 October 2026)

## Key facts about Neighbourhood Santana

- Location: Santana, north coast of Madeira island, Portugal.
- Size: 3,840 m² of land, flat terrain. The land has been bought.
- Access: the Continente supermarket, a BP fuel station and motorway access are all about a 3-minute drive away.
- Scale: a founded village of 8 to 16 homes (an estimate; the exact number and the size of each plot are not decided yet). The detail of the project, above all the shared spaces, is still being designed with the architects.
- Homes and shared spaces: each household has a place of its own and access to the shared spaces, such as the community garden. Every household has the same obligation to help maintain them; how that is organised (for example a caretaker hired together by the neighbours) is not decided yet. Using the shared garden, activities and events is optional. Whether the plots will be sold or rented is not decided yet. There is no fee to be part of the community.
- Design: the neighbourhood is designed by the founders with their architects; the founding households do not take part in the design.
- Open space: roughly half of the land will stay open, green and unbuilt, and a large part of that will be shared; the exact shares are still to be confirmed.
- Plots: the number and size of the plots are still to be confirmed and will be shared as soon as they are known.
- Water: garden irrigation is planned from a nearby levada, for a monthly fee; it is part of the architectural concept and the official approval is still to come.
- Sustainability: the intention is to build with sustainable practices and sustainable materials wherever possible; the specifics are decided with the architect and will be shared as they are decided.
- Status: the final project still has to be submitted to the city hall for approval. Plots are not yet available. Goal: that people can move in by 2030. This is a goal, not a promise; no construction start date or exact move-in date has been set.
- How people join: anyone can join the community mailing list (no commitment, no deposit). Joining does not secure a plot. Interested people get to know each other, and the founders, first. The founders then choose the households slowly and consciously, after that phase has had plenty of time; anyone can opt out, but nobody can remove another household, and opting out after construction has started means passing the plot on to a new household, which the household may have to find itself. Chosen households are then offered a plot.
- Travel times from Santana: Porto da Cruz about 10 minutes, Machico about 20, Funchal about 40.

## Who is behind it

- Founders: Mark and Catherine. Both intend to live in the neighbourhood.
- Podcast and YouTube series: "In Love with Madeira", about what it means to build a life on the island.
- Contact: contact@ecovillagemadeira.com