Habitar Vila Nova de Foz Côa: Proposta de evolução da morfologia urbana

Abstract

The desertification of inland Portugal currently represents one of the most critical challenges in spatial planning, reflected in population loss, demographic aging, and the progressive abandonment of the built environment. Vila Nova de Foz Coa, the case study of this dissertation, exemplifies these phenomena in a paradigmatic way: despite its recognized historical, archaeological, and landscape heritage, the city reveals fragilities resulting from decades of housing policies focused on metropolitan areas and largely insensitive to local specificities. In this context, the research proposes an integrated reading of the urban morphology of Foz Côa, along with the identification of weakness and intervention opportunities capable of guiding housing policies and urban regeneration strategies. The theoretical component relied on a chronological analysis of the settlement process and urban transformations, from the foundation of the town to the present day, in parallel with public housing policies and their effects, or lack thereof, on the local territory. Complementarily, a statistical diagnosis was carried out using Geographic Information Systems and Rstats, allowing for the characterization of the population, the assessment of building conditions, and the identification of occupation patterns. Based on the analysis, a critical framework of intervention proposal was developed. These do not take the form of closed architectural projects but rather of operative tools to support decision-making, designed in line with current planning instruments, such as the Plano Diretor Municipal and Carta Municipal de Habitação. Although mitigating desertification requires a global strategy, it is recognized that many population needs can be addressed through urban rehabilitation and the enhancement of public space. Likewise, the formulation of public policies adapted to the reality of low-density cities is advocated, in order to effectively improve the living conditions of their inhabitants. It is concluded, that the articulation between different disciplines makes it possible to transform dispersed data into operative knowledge. This dissertation thus reaffirms the role of architecture not only as a project-based practice but also as a mediator of social and territorial processes, fundamental to restoring vitality to inland cities such as Vila Nova de Foz Coa.