Nas Margens do Cávado: Projeto urbano das Frentes fluviais de Barcelos

Abstract

"Currently, watercourses play an increasingly important role in supporting recreational activities, such as observation of fauna and flora, walking and cycling routes, river beaches, camping sites, picnic areas and other spaces of leisure."2 The dissertation "Nas Margens do Cávado: Projeto urbano das Frentes fluviais de Barcelos" investigates the relationship between the Cávado River and the city of Barcelos, analyzing its historical, territorial, and urban evolution, as well as the contemporary challenges associated with the management and enhancement of its riverfronts. The study highlights the structuring role of the river in shaping local identity, in the early settlement processes, and in the city's economic and urban development, while also evidencing the progressive detachment from its banks, intensified from the sixteenth century onwards and only partially reversed through twentieth-century urban plans. The contemporary analysis reveals both opportunities and vulnerabilities: the riverbanks, although predominantly green, remain poorly qualified and fragmented, while natural hazards such as floods, increasingly exacerbated by climate change, expose the fragility of the territory. In response, the proposed intervention focuses on the stretch between the Mereces and S. Veríssimo weirs, seeking to ensure comfortable and safe public enjoyment by restoring the connection between the city and the banks of the Cávado. More than a localized intervention, this work puts forward a replicable model for other sections of the river, advocating for its reinterpretation as an ecological, cultural, and social infrastructure, essential for building a sustainable, resilient, and inclusive urban future.