A City between visions: Perspectives on the city of Lagos (Portugal),a glimpse throughout Time and Memory, Its effects on Architecture and Urban Environment (original) (raw)
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19 th Century Conflagrations and the Architectural Landscape of Lagos
The 19 th century was a boisterous time for Lagos. Quite momentous were the events that they left a significant change on many aspects of Lagos' urban character and outlook. This paper looks at city fires and how they shaped the architectural landscape of Lagos. While city fires are in some ways a standard occurrence in many sprawling 19 th century metropolises, not many received nearly as many fire as Lagos did. Though some of the fire events were acts of incendiarism, a significant number were accidental but the destruction were equally damning. The horror of these incessant fires prompted consistent reactions and policy promulgation by way of ordinances from the Colonial administration. The articulation of these law produced a sequence that initiated the reshaping of the city's urban fabric. This paper will show that a significant amount of the architectural change and development in 19 th century Lagos directly relate to city fires.
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The physiognomy of a city is the result of the simultaneous action of very diverse factors. Firstly, a number of natural factors of geographical and physical nature (topography, climate, types of soils, available resources, etc.) which, although gradually less decisive due to technological progress, limit and mediatise the very existence of the city. Moreover, the city's layout mirrors and, at the same time, meets the needs of a given form of organization (social, political, economic, religious, cultural, etc.). Representative buildings and housing, their arrangement in blocks, public spaces, street networks, the location of the different elements, etc., i.e. the physical reality of the urban space itself is determined by the society that builds the city and by the elites that rule it. Furthermore, if it is not a case of ex novo foundation, the city is the result of its own history, of the imprint of past cities that seem to resist complete disappearance and leave their mark on the inherited buildings, ramparts and streets. Thus, historic cities are palimpsests in which, with greater or lesser difficulty, fragments of disappeared cities can be glimpsed. The conquest of Ceuta by the troops of King João I in 1415 entailed the formation of a new Christian civitas on the site of the old Islamic medina. Inevitably, this process involved a remarkable transformation of Ceuta’s urban form. The destinies of this North African city were now ruled by a Christian socio-economic system, with its own urbanism, which also mirrored the new social, political and economic relations. The aim of these pages is to reflect on some of these transformations.
Rediscovering a Forgotten City: The Case Study of Laranjeiras
Journal of Civil Engineering and Architecture, 2012
The term "forgotten city" was mentioned by researchers to denominate some colonial Brazilian settlements and cities which seem to have the same characteristics that demonstrate they were hidden along the years and that have the same atmosphere as they used to in their past life, i.e., they have the same traditional type of urban configuration produced at the origin of the city. This paper brings into discussion this character of this city, using as an example the city of Laranjeiras, one of the oldest cities of the State of Sergipe, which had a great and rich trade of sugar, besides significant cultural and political activities, being known as "Brazilian Athens" in the 19th century. Then, Laranjeiras decayed and stopped growing along the 20th century. However, it has had a good perspective to develop again with insertion of new different activities recently. The initial Portuguese planning to villages in Brazil followed specific rules and had a systematic assistance, what discards the myth that many Brazilian cities were born and grown up as a spontaneous form without planning. Studying some factors deeply, as spatial configuration, settlement localization and urban grid, it can be possible to point some recognizable elements which demonstrate that some cities were built to be forgotten. The methodology used for the analysis of Laranjeiras presents many historic, economic and cultural aspects related to the spatial-syntactic studies (Space Syntax Theory), bringing to light some interesting thoughts about urban form and social life.
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A fundamental source for the study of urban form in former Portuguese colonies is Luis Silveira's Ensaio de Iconografia das Cidades Portuguesas do Ultramar published in the 50's. This is an often cited work and its images have been abundantly used. Nonetheless, it has not been analysed and considered in itself, as a unique and essential collection of images representing the most important Portuguese settlements outside Europe as well as noteworthy places connected to the Portuguese expansion or colonization periods. It presents a wealth of graphical information on the settlements which can be understood as town or future town centres. More than a thousand figures depict nearly two hundred towns. The second volume is dedicated to occidental and oriental Sub-Saharan Africa. This paper addresses form and content of this fundamental resource for the study of city-centres in the Portuguese ex-coloniesas seen through the eyes of a public official in the eve of the colonial wars.
All cities share a similar challenge: "How to rehabilitate the historic centre without denigrating its identity and at the same time encourage private investment in built cultural heritage in order to avoid its degradation?" The historic centres are the oldest and most central areas of the cities, defining their identity, but have fallen into economic, social and residential decay, in part by the abandonment and aging of their most outstanding buildings. The presented paper intends to study the projects promoted by the Portuguese Municipality of Viseu, namely through the Urban Rehabilitation Society Viseu Novo, in short URS Viseu Novo. This revitalization strategy of the Historic Centre of Viseu aims to identify the buildings' most relevant problems, the rehabilitation's proposed objectives and the feasible solutions to renovate them promoting youth housing, cultural events and others. A contextualization analysis of the URS's work in the historic area of Viseu is presented through the inventory of its interventions using Geographic Information Systems (GIS). GIS spatial analyses, syntheses and conclusions can be used for the presentation of rehabilitation solutions duly framed in the goals and environment intended for these noble areas. As a result of this work, and starting from this principle, another research is being developed and serves as theme for the Integrated Master in Architecture Dissertations, highlighting the relevance and pertinence of this theme.
Urban Design International, 2002
Brazil has little experience in balanced urban regeneration and historical preservation projects when compared to more mature countries such as the Europeans. However the recent experience of Salvador da Bahia seems to be worth studying. The Pelourinho historic district is a distinguished example of Portuguese Renaissance urban development, hosting colonial architecture typologies from the 16th to the 18th centuries. Since the late 19th century the area has undergone a remarkable decay process being progressively abandoned by economic activities and population. After the area was considered World Heritage by UNESCO in 1985 both municipal and state governments have taken actions to promote its regeneration. This paper analyses this process considering its implications within the urban design framework. The first part analyses the area morphology as a result of Portugal Colonial policies. The second part assesses degradation as a result of the birth and rise of modern urban planning in Brazil and Bahia. In the next parts the actions of municipal and state authorities are considered as well as their implications considering the economic activities and existing population involved. The conclusion remarks the importance of Salvador experience, establishing its pros and cons.
Urban renovation of portuguese historical centres
2012
Cities are ecosystems that consume a lot of energy and substance, as well as generate much waste and pollution. Concerns about waste and misuse of natural resources have led people and governments to think better about urban growth. Nowadays half of world population lives in cities, and it is expected a considerable increase over the next years in developing countries. Already in some European Union countries, which currently go through times of crisis, it is misunderstood the necessity of cities expansion. Portugal is ...