Project Description

The aim of the dissertation is to contribute to the debate concerning the emergence of new models of urban governance as a response to urban regeneration initiatives. It will analyze, in greater detail, the role of these regeneration initiatives as promoters of enduring alterations in the urban politics, mainly the question of institutional capacity building. For the Portuguese reality, the “POLIS” programme and the “SRU” and “Parcerias para a Regeneração Urbana” initiatives will constitute the framework that will allow the understanding of partnerships’ formation and the corresponding urban governance models in Portugal. This cross-analysis will allow to identify the existence (or absence) of enduring changes in the Portuguese urban politics. The first part of the thesis is concerned with the most recent theoretical analysis of urban governance models. The debate will be focused on the comparison between the existing theoretical models, the implemented practices and the emerging models. The case studies include several municipalities’ governance experiences, in a context of urban regeneration. These will provide an insight into the Portuguese reality of the last decade, as the programmes have different timescales that allow identifying the existence of any learning experiences and the transmission of competences between them. The final part of the thesis will be concerned with the relevance of these regeneration initiatives as mediums for the establishment of new governance practices, capable of enduring beyond the initiatives’ original timeframes, as well as their capacity to overcome much of the difficulties posed by the fragmented institutional arrangements – namely the issue with institutional capacity building –.

Research Team

• Isabel Breda Vázquez (supervisor)
• Paulo Albuquerque

Financial Support

• PROFAD - IPV

Stage of Progress

• Concluded