Arquitectura como um meio para a revitalização urbana. Projecto Estratégico para a Rua Teixeira de Vasconcelos, Amarante

Abstract

The present work thrives from a need of a review concerning ways of seeing and thinking about current cities, finding within the Architecture subject a work method based on the analysis of social, cultural and economic dynamics. The contemporary city, a stage of many sociological transformations, has been under the devitalization of its historical centre. This situation has put the patrimony and the human and cultural essence that distinguishes and singles it at risk, and so, because of this, an urgent reflection about ways of intervention is required, with the will of giving back life to the urban centre, waging in the economic revitalization and in the increase of the population settling power of this area. As is specified in the Urban Regeneration Action Plan of Amarante, the idea of a sustainable city comes through the regeneration of existent urban structures, instead through urban sprawl. So, the urban element STREET as a sample for this essay was chosen. This choice came about due to the strong potentiality that this urban space has in creating dynamics, exchanges and flows in the city. When streets function well on the level of everyday experience, they provide opportunities for people to connect in a way that no other public space can. For this reason, using the study case Rua Teixeira de Vasconcelos as part of Amarante's historical centre, an urban, social, cultural and economic study will be presented that will help in the sketch of a cohesive and diversified urban strategy, sustained in the pre-existing dynamic and structure. Giving value to the punctual architecture intervention role, two projects are developed, one about the rethinking and treatment of a public space and another about the programmatic use of a derelict building located in the study area. From the strategy point of view, the perspective of the process of an urban revitalization in Amarante is projected, to extend the rehabilitation action in time and space. All this work has been combined by the knowledge of strategies that had already been started, that share the same interest in the construction of action and intervention methods in the city, both material and immaterial, always bearing in mind an enlarged and extensive result throughout the city. In summary, understand Architecture as a mean to a urban revitalization project, implies working in several drawing and thinking scales of the urban reality, its knowledge and concerns.