Face a esta realidade que nos ultrapassa, façamos de conta que a controlamos - reflexões sobre Urbanismo

Abstract

The reflection about the current status of the portuguese urbanism hereby developed derives from a perception of change regarding the way of life of the western society, as well as the urban policies implemented in the country territory, considering such different aspects as the State regulatory role to the governance model itself. These trends have in common the characteristic of the time factor acceleration (of the communication or the decision) and of the physical spaces (where we are in or we move on), successively surpassing our expectations and anxieties, from the global to local, from immaterial to material. There is now a widespread consensus that Urbanism is in crisis. We use the expression "Urban Crisis" as a global phenomenon made of concrete problems that altogether affect the city role; the financial crisis (results in an economical recession which has an impact in all world markets); the civil society crisis (society supported by values such as the complexity and individualism); the environmental crisis (excessive consumption of natural resources); and the governance crisis (intensified by the weakening of the political power). For this reasons the most recent Urbanism theories are appealing to a new role model for thinking the territory. In an effort to have a better understanding of the challenges faced by Urban Planning in our days, the intention with this work is to consider a number of emerging issues, which individually or collectively create obstacles to the design and monitoring of the social/territorial dynamics. It is essential to take advantage of this cycle turning point, confirmed by the crisis, in order to create conditions for the expression of different ways of life, using the knowledge and creativity acquired in today3;s world.