Análise urbana da cidade de Ponta Delgada. O papel dos planos de urbanização no crescimento da cidade.

Abstract

The image of a city is built on the basis of a bilateral process between the city itself and each observer. This process includes not only every change that occurs in the city, as well as the life experiences that constantly affect and alter everyone's perception of the space where he lives, therefore, creating different images of the same reality among many individuals. Thus, through this dissertation I intend to enlarge the perception and established image I have of Ponta Delgada, through a detailed analysis of its urban elements and evolution, with particular emphasis on the twentieth century, in order to understand what led to the urban transformations occurred all over the years. The object of study is the city of Ponta Delgada, which is situated on the south coast of S. Miguel island, in the Azores, and it stands as the largest and most important city in the regional overview. Its urban development in the last century is notorious and meets the specific physical, economic and social issues with which it has been faced. The urban elements where this development is more notorious, and therefore should form the basis of the present urban study are: its seafront, remarkable space of the city where several large-scale interventions changed completely the face of Ponta Delgada; their road system, which increasingly plays a vital role not only in the city's internal functioning but also in relation to other urban areas of the island; and their limits and expansion areas, which have increasingly extend through the territory towards the small neighboring villages. That said, the aim of this thesis concerns the development of a conscious and critical analysis about the role that Urban Plans played in the Ponta Delgada urban evolution since the second half of the twentieth century, combined with a general analysis of the city progress up to today. The present study is part of a working methodology that focuses on three key aspects: a careful analysis of the various development schemes undertaken and its role in the evolution of the city; a strong theoretical component associated with the planning and development of cities, especially the Portuguese panorama; and the experience and insight gained from the experiences of several years as a resident in Ponta Delgada. The basic structure of the work starts from a historical perspective that extends to midtwentieth century, after leaning on the analysis of development schemes carried out in order to determine the influence and the role played by each on the territorial growth of Ponta Delgada.