As Dimensões do Espaço Urbano. Estudos sobre a Apropriação do Espaço

Abstract

This dissertation expresses the desire to explore the socio-political dimensions of urban spaces and to understand the various ways in which the design of these spaces conditions our daily lives. My interest in this area arose during my ERASMUS experience in 2019/2020, where I was introduced to various architectural practices that were different from those I had known until then. I had the opportunity to participate in events and workshops focused on questioning the status quo of urban spaces, in which architecture comes together with other arts in a more artistic and social conception that interacts directly with the population. This experience awakened in me a new interest in the more artistic aspects of architecture and its role in the critical production of society. First, a study will be conducted on the various layers and socio-spatial mechanisms that structure and regulate interactions between society and space. This will involve an analysis of the processes of structuring and reproducing urban space. The consequences of these oppressive efforts on space will also be analysed, and some ways in which architectural practice can raise society's awareness of them will be demonstrated. The second section will provide a brief analysis of the urban development of the city of Porto, from its remote origins to the present day. It will cover the most significant historical moments in its urban renewal, up to the most recent transformations resulting from the strong presence of the tourism industry. In a third stage, all the work done previously will be encompassed and transposed into three proposals for intervention in the city's public space, drawing on various references that I have collected along the way