Do quarto de casa ao bairro - (Re)Qualificação dos bairros precários da cidade da Praia

Abstract

This thesis focus on one of the biggest challenges that the developing countries face nowadays: the fast growth of slums represent between one third to more than half of these cities built environment. Considering a specific territory, the City of Praia, Cabo Verde, this investigation seeks to contribute for the comprehension of the processes of slum formation and transformation as well for discussing policies for slum upgrading solutions. This research presents some concepts and methodologies that are being discussed by some authors, complemented by the experience of Valparaíso, Chile, a city that was built essentially without an urban plan. This debate and practical experience helped the construction of a point of view that supports the critic, the reflection, and the choices made. Through a critical analysis of the current urban and architectural context of Praia, this research seeks to understand and discuss the origin and the expansion of the city since its foundation, on the law and the juridical planning tools, as well as the programs proposed by the entities taking into account the solutions that people applied to overcome the housing deficit, as the "quarto de casa'', the minimal unit from which the house grows. All of these facts contributed for the definition of an intervention methodology that is expected to be a contribution to upgrade the slums of Praia City. This intervention methodology might complement the solution that already exists in the city, and seeks to fill the gaps that have been identified. Indeed it aims to contribute to solutions that consider the identity, the expectation, and the necessities of its involved inhabitants. This methodology is based on the identification of opportunities and gaps, discusses the more relevant conceptual principles and reflects on the different scales and phases of implematantion process.