CIDADES, Comunidades e Territórios

Editorial 43

Grand Projects - Urban Legacies of the late 20th Century

Transnational architecture and urbanism: Placing starchitecture in Singapore and Chongqing

Abstract The period between 1990 and 2020 witnessed an increase in transnational modes of architectural and urban design, especially with reference to prominent buildings and areas. Among these, the use of famous architectural firms has spread to globalizing cities across Europe, North America, and Asia. In many cases, spectacular buildings designed by a small set of international firms (such as Frank Gehry, Jean Nouvel, Zaha Hadid, Foster+Partners) were and still are intended to alter the fate of a city, as portrayed and promoted in “Bilbao effect” narratives. Despite the clear evidence that contradicts such oversimplified rationales, attention has been largely concentrated on generalized explanations for why urban trends occur, with limited consideration given to understanding how specific projects are planned, designed, realized, and succeed or not within their contexts. By drawing on the literature and two case studies, this paper focuses on the roles that star architecture plays in the processes of developing spectacular buildings. In the conclusions, this contribution suggests future research and decision making pay greater attention to the relations between transnational projects and the local context as well as to the urban effects of such projects rather than to focus primarily on prominent characters in the urban development play and their self-interested narratives1.

An entrepreneurial countryside? Imagining competitive futures in the architectural contests of Finland’s periphery

Abstract Architecture and urban design are central selling points in globalized models of urban development, advocated by city strategies to boost competitiveness. In particular, architectural competitions are frequently leveraged as a tool for public engagement and design innovation in complex urban projects. While competitiveness has been framed as an apparent quality of successful cities, the mobilization of spatial design in the pursuit of competitive advantage is not limited to metropolitan sites. Even provincial towns and declining municipalities engage in design competitions to improve their status. Nevertheless, the competitive aspirations of these peripheries have rarely received scholarly attention. Examining documents from recent architectural competitions in the stagnant and declining regions of Finland, this study explored how peripheral localities approached architecture and urban design in pursuing their urban aspirations. The analysis of competition documents focused on the ideas and meanings of competitiveness evoked in the competition briefs, architectural proposals, as well as the juries’ evaluations, with a particular focus on the winning projects. Rather than innovative designs or iconic buildings, the peripheral design competitions conveyed more subtle development aspirations. Moreover, contradictions emerged between the mainstream solutions put forward by participating architects and juries’ ideas of what was appropriate in the design context. The emphasis on modest improvements rather than growth points towards alternative imaginations of urban futures. The findings offer a distinct contribution to the ongoing debates on urban competitiveness and the role of design by reinserting the periphery into the picture. The outcomes invite further inquiries on design strategies beyond the hegemonic models and sites of urban production.

Space___Between: Remnants of a city as catalysts for change

Abstract It all starts with a question… Or perhaps too many. What can be done with the remnants of any given city? Can they be transformed to create a shared, cohesive, and productive urban environment? Understanding that the city is an unfinished, ever-productive, ever-dynamic and ever-changing project, it cannot be ignored that, while transforming specific zones in a city, other zones get abandoned in the developing process for an undefined period of time. These urban slivers are often seen as negative spaces rather than positive ones; I will focus on the important indeterminacy and uncertainty that they possess. This research project will centre on these unoccupied, abandoned, or underutilized places within the city, analysing different dynamics of reintegration into the city’s fabric while incorporating Michael Foucault’s heterotopias, as well as some case studies in Gordon Matta-Clark’s œuvre to the discourse. Specifically, I argue that terrain vagues, a term first coined by Ignasi de Solà-Morales i Rubió, and related terms should be seen as site-specific tools for critique and creativity. In order to positively take over any urban void, I address the issue of property, social attachment, and identity to the place, intertwined with the dynamics of architecture and urbanism. I propose to incorporate the concepts of memory and time inherent to these dynamics in order to develop a profound reading of any given site; generate a reinterpretation that can trigger a longstanding change to attain the reinstatement of public property with creative and straightforward approaches; and, then, perform a temporal or permanent, architectonic or artistic intervention, aiming for a new sense of social meaning. In conclusion, this paper sheds new light on the necessity to embrace the opportunities provided by these urban voids. Art and architecture can act as key elements to link people and spaces within a sociocultural context and thus create catalysts for change endowed with meaning.

Cultural mega-events in heritage-rich cities: Insights from the European Capital of Culture and broader policy perspectives

Abstract The European Capital of Culture (ECoC) is a well-known and long-standing European policy that annually awards the title of Capital to two or more cities that deliver cultural initiatives throughout one year of celebrations. The programme has been hosted by over 60 cities throughout Europe during the last 35 years. Some host cities have used the ECoC to develop large projects that contribute to urban rebranding and regeneration (e.g. the facilities on the new waterfront of Marseille, made for the 2013 ECoC) and, more frequently, projects that adapt existing facilities and places, or smaller scale and less spectacular interventions in the city fabric. As a wide variety of differing cities have hosted the event, the ECoC has contributed to urban transformations at different scales, often with particular reference to historic and heritage-rich settings, but also brings about long-term effects in terms of cultural facilities and venues, tourism appeal and even the intangible heritage narratives attached to places. Drawing on the HOMEE Research Project and on recent publications by the authors, this paper discusses the range of large-to-small-scale planning, the (re)generation of cultural facilities and places in historic cities and heritage-rich areas to accommodate cultural mega-events and the effects they have on host cities over time. In the conclusions, the paper expands beyond the ECoC (in the direction of sport mega-events) to consider and highlight forthcoming challenges for urban policy-making and the planning of mega-events in Europe.1

Chagos in ‘Blue’: Fortress conservation, archipelagic network and militarized science

Abstract Around 1500 Chagos Islanders were expelled from the Chagos Archipelago and moved to Mauritius and Seychelles between 1965 and 1973. Diego Garcia, the largest island of the Chagos, became a US military base. The Chagos Marine Protected Area (MPA) was established in 2010 and currently acts as legal ammunition against Chagossians’ claims for their rights of return and abode. This article uncovers the multi-layered impacts of the Chagos MPA as fortress conservation by conducting a multiscale spatial analysis and addresses the epistemic system(s) of power. It pays particular attention to colonial and imperial legacies in the construction of environmental science, a planetary-scale archipelagic network, and the rhetoric of ecological (in)security. The politics of coconut manifested in the Barton Point restoration project substantiates claims of spatial and epistemic violence. This article further describes Chagossian strategies of resistance using the works of Clement Siatous and Shenaz Patel. It concludes by arguing against the coupling of military occupation with an environmental fortress that conceals and perpetuates historical injustice. Chagos ecology is storied, layered and laminated through human-land interactions. Chagossians’ imaginative accounts of a shared homeland are inspirational manifestos.

O “Belo” e o “Bom” em Lisboa: Notas sobre parques hortícolas, hortas espontâneas e práticas artísticas

Resumo O Plano Verde de Lisboa, concebido na década de 1990, propõe a articulação física de áreas verdes da cidade dedicadas não só ao lazer, mas também à produção agrícola. Nesse contexto são propostos parques hortícolas que, semelhante aos “grandes projetos” do final do século XX, recorrem a uma uniformidade formal em distintos cenários. A estratégia de implantação dos parques envolve a substituição de hortas espontâneas consolidadas em áreas expectantes desde a década de 1950 que, apesar de suas feições decadentes e labirínticas, possuem importância para as comunidades locais. Da vivência de uma prática artística nesses territórios espontâneos, são deflagrados questionamentos: Por seus padrões estéticos e sociais de difícil assimilação, essas hortas impõem uma insuportável presença do “feio” que justificaria a imposição do “belo” instituído? Assistimos à estetização da vida e à espetacularização do espaço público em detrimento do que possa ser “bom” numa perspectiva social? Guiado por esses questionamentos, este estudo é um ensaio que pretende refletir sobre a operação urbana de substituição das hortas pelos parques, contemplando possíveis juízos estético-éticos subjacentes a esses territórios, bem como refletir sobre potenciais e limites da referida prática artística para dar luz a esses juízos e aos conflitos que deles emanam. Para tanto, apoia-se em revisões bibliográficas e em sensações e percepções que emergiram de experiências nesses espaços. A despeito de distintos juízos estético-éticos, conclui-se que ambos, parque e prática, conduzem em diferentes graus e perspectivas à estetização do território, o que afirma a necessidade de contínuo exame dos seus meios e fins e dos discursos culturais vigentes.

Abstract Plano Verde de Lisboa (Lisbon's Green Plan), conceived in the 1990s, proposes the physical articulation of the city's green areas dedicated to both leisure and agricultural production. In this context, horticultural parks are proposed. Alike “large projects” of the late 20th century, they resort to formal uniformity in different contexts. Their implementation strategy involves the replacement of spontaneous gardens consolidated in expectant areas since the 1950s which, despite their decadent and labyrinthine features, are important for local communities. Questions arise from the experience of an artistic practice in these spontaneous territories: Given their aesthetic and social standards, hard to assimilate, do these gardens impose an unbearable presence of the “ugly” that might justify the imposition of the instituted “beautiful”? Do we see the aestheticization of life and the spectacularization of public space, to the detriment of what might be “good” from a social perspective? Guided by these questions, we propose an essay that aims to reflect on the urban operation of replacing gardens by parks, contemplating possible aesthetic and ethical judgments underlying these territories, as well as reflecting on the potentials and limits of the aforementioned artistic practice to shed light on these judgments and resulting conflicts. We rely on bibliographical reviews and on sensations and perceptions that emerged from experiences in these spaces. Despite different aesthetic-ethical judgments, we conclude that both, park and practice, lead to the aestheticization of the territory in different degrees and perspectives. This states the need for continuous examination of territory's means and purposes, along with current cultural discourses.

Sete edifícios para a zona ribeirinha de Lisboa

Resumo No âmbito do Laboratório Lisboa e o Rio (de Projeto Final de Arquitetura 2020/2021 do Mestrado Integrado em Arquitetura do Iscte) propusemos investigar edifícios de arquitetura contemporânea portuguesa existentes na frente ribeirinha, cuja particularidade era serem elementos transformadores da cidade de Lisboa. Os edifícios construídos sob a égide de grandes projetos urbanísticos são, muitas vezes, considerados como tendo uma arquitetura imediata cuja valorização remete para a sua imagem sem referências ao passado, ao lugar e à envolvente urbana onde se implantam. Intuindo que estes edifícios vão mais além do que a sua imagem e que outros fatores contribuem para a atratividade urbana e vivência positiva dos sítios onde se implantam, discute-se se a sua atratividade advém da imagem marcante ou se, pelo contrário, a sua atratividade decorre de outros fatores como a capacidade de se constituem enquanto elementos estruturantes da cidade, locais de encontro e, nesse sentido, promotores de vida social e coletiva. Alicerçamos a nossa análise em quatro tópicos: a implantação do edificado, a relação com a envolvente, a forma e a figura e a relação de escala que o mesmo estabelece com as pré-existências. Concluímos que estes edifícios não se esgotam na sua primeira aparência. A sua riqueza espacial, aliada ao seu programa público e a articulação que os mesmos estabelecem com os espaços públicos, com as pré-existências e com as memórias dos lugares faz-nos reconhecer o inegável papel que desempenham para a organização de uma nova paisagem contemporânea da cidade, constituindo-se peças fundamentais na revitalização urbana, económica e social da zona ribeirinha de Lisboa.

Abstract Within the scope of the Lisbon and Rio Laboratory of Final Architecture Project 2020/2021, (Integrated Masters Degree in Architecture at Iscte), we proposed to investigate examples of Portuguese contemporary grand projects existing on the waterfront, whose feature was that they are transforming elements of the city of Lisbon. These buildings are often thought to have an immediate architecture, whose valuation derives from their image without reference to the past, the place and the urban environment where they are located. Perceiving that these buildings go beyond their image and that other factors contribute to the urban attractiveness and positive experience of the sites where they are located, the central objective of this investigation was to understand, based on seven case studies, the relationships of belonging with the place, with pre-existing elements, with the public urban space and with the memory of these places. Analysis was based on four topics: the implantation of the building, the relationship with the surroundings, the shape and figure and the scale relationship that it establishes with the pre-existing elements. We conclude that these buildings do not run out on their first appearance. Spatial wealth, combined with public programming and the articulation they establish with public spaces, with pre-existing elements and with the memories of places, point to the undeniable role they play in the organization of a new contemporary landscape of the city, constituting fundamental pieces in the urban, economic and social revitalization of the riverside area of Lisbon.

Recensão do livro Bak Gordon, Autorretrato em azul

Recensão do livro Staging the New Berlin. Place Marketing and the Politics of Urban Reinvention Post-1989

Recensão do livro Lisboa em Metamorfose

O apego ao lugar numa vila piscatória em transição: A relação dos habitantes da Fuzeta com a Ria Formosa

Abstract The main objective of this article is to understand the relationship that the residents of Fuzeta, a fishing village in southern Portugal, establish with the Ria Formosa Natural Park, through the concept of place attachment. Recent studies on the relationship between individuals and places highlight the importance of this place attachment, but despite its abundant use, it remains in a stage of theoretical underdevelopment. Furthermore, the lack of research on the attachment to Portuguese Natural Parks endowed this research with an exploratory character and led to the need to a new definition of the concept of place attachment and to the construction of a broader analytical model. The attribution and maintenance of meanings and values to the places, implies not only the relationship of people with the physical elements of the territory but also the interactions of individuals with each other, their sharing of history and culture, and other aspects that can either strengthen or weaken people’s attachments to places. We propose in this article a new analytical model that includes, at the same time, the factors that participate in the attribution of meanings and values to places, and also those that participate in the place attachment process whether in a contributory way or in a disruptive way. The empirical study presented in this article adopted a qualitative interpretative methodology through the use of semi-structured in-depth interviews. Thus, 26 Fuzeta residents engaged in leisure or professional activities in the Ria Formosa lagoon were interviewed. The interviewees were workers from several professional activities that use the lagoon - such as fishermen and shellfish catchers, restaurant and hospitality workers, as well as those engaged in leisure activities such as sunbathing, recreational fishing, the catching of shellfish and crustaceans, hiking, boating, windsurfing and camping. The results indicate that the inhabitants of Fuzeta have a very strong and multidimensional attachment to the Ria Formosa that is related to the meanings, emotions, feelings they attribute to it and mainly to the perception of its irreplaceability.

O que acontece quando adolescentes raciocinam sobre espaços públicos? Lições aprendidas com a cocriação em Lisboa

Abstract This contribution, based on the European research Project C3Places, focuses on co-creation of public open spaces and addresses placemaking from the perspective of adolescents. It analyses their spatial practices and needs and the co-produced ideas for a teenagers-sensitive public space. The Project results must be seen in the context of the pandemic SARS-CoV-2 which is challenging the urban fabric, placemaking and research continuity. More than ever, it is crucial to develop strategies for inclusive and responsive public spaces. This paper aims to: 1) introduce the dynamics and insights acquired in a case-study with teenage students in Lisbon; 2) review the literature related to urban planning, especially in the public space production and consumption, in the context of the global pandemic; and 3) reflect on the ontological and methodological challenges that placemaking faces as a response to call for collaborative approaches.

Exploring lived space of new build urban environment through photovoice interview. The case of Donau City in Vienna

Abstract Contemporary urban design practices and new build redevelopment projects are strongly influenced by economic, social and cultural practices, as well as by new forms of management. These different parameters play on the quality production of open spaces. Investigating the place study of Donau City, a mixed-use neighbourhood located in Vienna (Austria), we look at the relations between the new build environment and the daily users. We aim at analysing the intrinsic qualities of this specific urban environment by understanding how residents and users perceive and decode it (emic perspective) and how they make sense of everyday practiced and lived space. In order to do so, we followed a citizen science approach, using photovoice interview with thirteen residents and workers. Commenting the photographs they took on a one-day walk, the users revealed their daily life of their surrounding through design and planning elements associated with personal stories. We analyzed the corpus via inductive coding which helped us conceptualize the users’ lived space (Lefebvre, 2000), perceptions and interactions. Discussing the results, we contribute to a deeper understanding of the role forms, functions and scales play on open spaces’ quality in new build redevelopment projects by bringing in a bottom-up and sensitive approach. We show that social and spatial fragmentation could be mitigated by paying more attention to the emic perceptions and intangible values in spatial conception.

Tenure insecurity and incremental housing development in the peri-urban interface of Ibadan, Nigeria

Abstract The increasing urbanization being experienced in African countries exacerbates their current housing needs and tenure insecurity. Despite the strictness of the formal land market in Ibadan, Nigeria, urban residents find it easier to access land from informal land market in the city, which results in incremental housing development. Based on the Self-help Theory, the study examined the contribution of tenure insecurity to the development of incremental housing in peri-urban Ibadan. A cross-sectional research design (relying on quantitative and qualitative data) was employed in the study. A total of 248 heads of household were selected from six Local Government Areas of Ibadan and each one of them was administered a structured questionnaire. Ethical protocols were followed and informed consent was obtained. The study revealed that the majority of these incremental developers was illiterate. Factors that accounted for the incremental development included fear of eviction (which is associated with tenure insecurity), high rent costs and lack of funds (as associated with income poverty). The study recommended enhancing access to secure land titles as this has multiplier-effects on housing.

A investigação na prática profissional do arquiteto

Resumo A definição e o reconhecimento do papel do arquiteto em Portugal é, desde o princípio do século XX, uma preocupação da classe. O presente artigo discute como tem sido abordada a investigação enquanto alicerce para um mais completo exercício da profissão. Quem foram os que, no último vinténio do século XX, se debruçaram sobre o exercício da profissão de arquiteto? Face ao número de arquitetos inscritos em Portugal, estes reconhecem publicamente a importância da investigação enquanto apoio à atividade de projeto? Metodologicamente, o estudo apoia-se no Jornal Arquitectos (J-A, 1981-2000), designadamente na identificação dos principais artigos publicados dedicados à temática do exercício da profissão e na reflexão destes face à prática da investigação. Considerado um repositório fundamental para a análise das principais temáticas discutidas em Portugal, a observação dos artigos publicados no J-A permite, hoje, reunir considerações para lidar com a ainda complexa relação entre a prática e a teoria da Arquitetura. Serviu de complemento ao presente estudo, a recolha de testemunhos orais de arquitetos-investigadores que passaram pelo Laboratório Nacional de Engenharia Civil (LNEC) - a primeira instituição pública que, no início da década de 1960, acolheu num mesmo campus diversos profissionais para pesquisar temáticas da Engenharia e da Arquitetura -, alguns dos quais ocupando lugares de chefia na edição do J-A e/ou publicando artigos sobre o exercício da profissão. Terão estes arquitetos-investigadores do LNEC, mais do que os restantes autores, reconhecido a importância da investigação para a atividade de projeto?

Abstract Since the beginning of the 20th century that, in Portugal, the definition and recognition of the architect's role is a concern of the class. This article discusses how research has been approached as a foundation for a more complete practice of this profession. In the last twenty years of the 20th century, who focused on the practice of the profession of architect? Given the number of architects in Portugal, do they publicly recognize the importance of research as a support for the project activity? Methodologically, the study is based on the analysis of the Portuguese magazine Jornal Arquitectos (J-A, 1981-2000), namely in the identification of the main articles about architecture practice and in their reflection about research. Considered a fundamental repository for the analysis of the main themes discussed in Portugal, the scrutiny of the articles published in J-A allows, today, to gather considerations to deal with the still complex relationship between the practice and theory of Architecture. The collection of oral testimonies from some of the leading architect-researchers who once worked at the Portuguese National Laboratory for Civil Engineering - the first public institution that, since the early 1960s, brought together in the same campus several professionals to research engineering and architecture themes - served as a complement to this study. Some of these architect-researchers occupied leading positions in the edition of the J-A and/or participated in the publication of articles on the exercise of the profession.

A cidade como texto: Aproximações entre antropologia, urbanismo e semiótica do espaço

Resumo Este ensaio parte de alguns conceitos de cidade apresentados por alguns estudiosos (Mumford, Benveniste, Rapoport, Heidegger, Volli) para compreender a sua fenomenologia. A seguir elabora-se o conceito de textualização da cidade especialmente a partir de Lotman e Hjelmslev. A erradicação de Itueta (Minas Gerais-BR) e a remodelação de West End (Boston-USA) são analisadas como exemplos de mudanças radicais nas textualizações urbanas e seus efeitos sobre seus moradores. Os efeitos culturais, sociológicos e psicológicos das mudanças - luto, patologias, desconforto - são discutidos, demonstrando como a cidade também é o resultado de um texto - escrita e testemunho - que estabelece relações profundamente significativas para a vida de seus moradores.

Abstract Starting form some city concepts coming from some scholars (Mumford, Benveniste, Rapoport, Heidegger, Volli) this reflection aims understand urban phenomenology. The next step is the insight of the city as a text mainly from Lotman and Hjelmslev. The Itueta (Brazil) eradication and the West End (Boston - USA) reshuffle are examples of radical changings in the urban text and their effects over their inhabitants. The cultural, sociological and psychological changings - grief, psychological pathologies, discomfort - are at stake in this analysis. So, as conclusion: city is actually the end outcome of a text - as a write down and as a testimony - stablishing deep and meaningful relationships to the life of its dwellers.

Recensão do livro Trabalhar em serviços destinados a pessoas em situação de sem-abrigo