Author(s): Fontes, André Cerejeira ; Silva, Manuel Carlos ; Rodrigues, Fernando Matos ; Fontes, António Jorge Moura Leitão Cerejeira
Date: 2022
Persistent ID: https://hdl.handle.net/1822/91058
Origin: RepositóriUM - Universidade do Minho
Subject(s): Basic housing; Participatory methods; Neighbourhood; Rehabilitation; Porto-Portugal
The authors summarize the origin and evolution of the urban “island” of Bela Vista in Porto, Portugal, since the 19th century. Despite local residents mobilizing in the wake of the revolution of April 25th 1974 in the context of the urban housing and design initiative (Local Ambulatory Support Service — Serviço de Apoio Ambulatório Local, SAAL), they were unable to renovate the crumbling neighbourhood. The Residents’ Association, resisting the onslaught of demolition strategies that were driven by real estate interests, eventually managed, with the support from a technical team of architects, social scientists and activists, to mobilize residents and ensure the political commitment of an independent parliamentary candidate in order to rehabilitate the “island” of Bela Vista. The project was also subsequently supported by the Councillors of Culture and Urbanism. Though various quantitative (survey) and qualitative (interviews, life stories) methods were applied in the study, the article highlights and expands on the action-research method opposite to positivist assumptions.
