City Centre Revitalization in Portugal: A Study of Lisbon and Porto: Fid-Bau Portal

City Centre Revitalization in Portugal: A Study of Lisbon and Porto

Balsas, Carlos J. L.

City centres throughout Europe are being subjected to major revitalization operations. This revitalization includes, among other aspects, housing improvements, retail modernizations, infill and brownfield redevelopment, public space improvements, streetscaping and pedestrianization schemes. In Portugal, the two largest cities have experienced some attempts at revitalization in the last 15 years, which have included mainly urban design strategies of main streets and squares. The purpose of this paper is not only to present an up-to-date discussion of the recent city centre revitalization interventions in both cities, but also primarily to give a southern European contribution to ongoing debates about urban design interventions in urban revitalization schemes. The argument of the paper is that these revitalizations were partial physical face-lifts that overlooked the social and economic aspects of the revitalization. This paper calls for a more integrated approach between the revitalization of public and private spaces and organizational interventions.