Viana do Castelo: a habitação de promoção pública na definição do tecido urbano da cidade do século XX

Abstract

This dissertation intends to understand the growth of the city of Viana do Castelo by studying the impact and the way public housing promotion participated in the twentieth century urban metamorphosis. It addresses, at first, the most determinant events that have shaped the urban fabric of the city, since the time of its foundation to the present day, towards a systematization of its evolution. And, afterwards, the research becomes focused and the analysis is intensified in the twentieth century, period of significant urban transformation that concentrates the urban plans and the public housing under study. At the same time, it is intended to contribute to the understanding of the evolution of housing promotion initiatives in Portuguese territory, by the state or other entities with social concerns, by framing and identifying the intervention principles underlying the housing developments of Viana do Castelo. Furthermore, through research and by analysing the specific documentation of each housing plan, it is intended to understand the architectural and urban trends, contributing to the knowledge of Portuguese architecture during the twentieth century.