1.37 - The Requalification of Public Spaces in Social Housing in Porto: Design as a Social Instrument / A Requalificação dos Espaços Públicos nos Conjuntos de Habitação Económica no Porto: o Desenho como Instrumento Social

Project Description

This research aims to understand the role of the requalification of public spaces, within the scope of operations of requalification of "Social Housing" complexes. The main goal is to identify fundamental criteria to be taken into account in these operations, so as to promote the right conditions for urban integration, architectural quality and satisfaction of the local population residing at such housing complexes.

It therefore compiles a set of theoretical and practical knowledge, within the disciplinary scope of Architecture and Urban Planning, as a basis for the critical formulation and listing of the above mentioned criteria. Such criteria, of morphological and functional nature, are used in the critical analysis of three case studies:

  • Contumil Quarter, at Porto, built in 1977, subject to a requalification operation in 2007.
  • Vila d'Este Development, at Vila Nova de Gaia, a construction concluded in 1990, subject to partial requalification in 2009.
  • Santa Luzia Quarter, at Porto, built in 1995. This quarter was subject to no requalification. This study will however include the presentation of a requalification project of our own authorship.

This work, on the one hand, allows a deep knowledge of the reasons which compromise the quality of the urban space at social quarters and, on the other hand, develops a critical study of the set of conditioning guidelines of the project applied under conditions specific to the satisfaction and self-esteem of the residents.


Research Team
  • Nuno Pedro Ferreira Abrantes 
  • Fernando Brandão Alves (Supervisor - FEUP)
  • Mike Biddulph (Co-Supervisor - Cardiff School of Planning and Geografy Cardiff University)
Financial Support
  • Supported by FCT
Stage of Progress
  • Concluded in 2016