Urban regeneration to shelter the poor in city centres

Abstract

Porto city (Portugal) - which historical centre is classified as a worldwide heritage byUNESCO - is currently facing increasing real estate pressure aimed at gentrification andtourism land uses.Considering the existence in Porto city of 957 nuclei of ranks of little houses that belong todeprived people, built from the 19th century on, and aimed at lodging the working class -usually called "islands" -, and the commitment of Porto political decision makers towards itscitizens to keep the whole features of the city - social, economic, historical and cultural - thecurrent article reports the goals, methodologies, results and conclusions of a consultancystudy carried out for the Porto Municipality. Its main concern consists in providing deprivedfamilies better housing conditions, still assuring their social inclusion in the centre of cities,where they have always traditionally lived. Thus a policy is proposed - embracingenvironmental sustainability, social cohesion and economic feasibility - to rehabilitate"islands" located in or near the Porto historical centre. A case study was specifically designedfor the "islands" located in the urban rehabilitation area of Santos Pousada.First of all population surveys and interviews were carried out, complemented by thecharacterization of the "islands" and respective houses. Considering the average dimension offamilies (about three people), the average island occupation rate (56.9%) and the averagedwellingsŽ surface (about 35 square meters), a rehabilitation operation was proposed in orderto almost double this surface, assuring as far as possible that most families remain in the"islands" where they currently live. Then intervention costs were assessed, according todwellingsŽ keeping condition. A specific financial tool aimed at private urban rehabilitationwas, then, analysed, in order to identify funding sources and corresponding reachableamounts. Cost burdens and incomes were then compared, and some policy proposals weremade so to render the operation profitable, involving current inhabitants and preserving alldimensions of city centre cultural heritage.This study clearly shows how urban rehabilitation interventions can support integration andsocial cohesion - betting on housing quality and comfort -, simultaneously resorting tofinancial tools to cover at least part of the involved expenses. So this proposal stands as atrade-off between the welfare state and competitive market forces, thus achieving asustainable balance within the scope of the increasing financial difficulties that more andmore hamper municipalities to achieve social goals.