A Cidade sem Limites. São Lourenço como laboratório para um pensamento crítico sobre o Território

Abstract

Taking into consideration my own experience over the past few years, in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic, it is unthinkable to not be mindful of the substantial changes that have emerged in way of life, the relationships towards work and convenience, and how common and individual spaces are used by citizens. Aware of the changes and adaptations that have occurred, taking into account technological advances and developments in the digital field, the study of the transformation of a social construction in constant metamorphosis, where territory is as much geographic as it is urban and as it is human, becomes increasingly pressing for contemporary society. Some years ago, during a walk along a part of the old Tua Railway, which is currently submerged, from landscape and nature, the small village of São Lourenço stood out, isolated and with an air of abandonment, and to this day has remained in my mind. This place appears, in this context, as a motivation to propose a critical reflection on what a new and current concept of appropriation of spaces could mean, going beyond the conventional idea that the city is limited only within its boundaries. We are going through times of change and reflection on how we live, (co)inhabit and behave and, evermore, we are faced with a city of variable geometry, expanding into urban territories, spread out like networks and systems, articulated by connecting nodes, strong central points, defined by their accessibility, From the study of the village of São Lourenço and the premises that are associated with it, since it can be considered an example of a territory that is within an extension of the limits of what, until now, has been conventionally defined as a city, it is my intention to demonstrate, with this dissertation, that we no longer live in a circumscribed city, but rather in an extended city, possibly a global city - made of continuous materials but above all immaterial - based on networks and systems, many of which are invisible. Currently, the city goes far beyond its borders, which remain merely to define administrative limits, which can be interpreted as artificial or fictional, since they are constantly invisibly crossed. As such, we begin to think critically about this new reality, where the idea of the city is questioned, which today goes way beyond its administrative borders and expands to wider territories, that we call here, city without limits.