PORTO'S CULTURAL BACKGROUND IN THE TRANSITION TO THE 21ST CENTURY

“PORTO'S CULTURAL BACKGROUND IN THE TRANSITION TO THE 21ST CENTURY” _ BY: RICARDO MARTINS AND GONÇALO FURTADO. (ORIGINALY PUBLISHED AS: RICARDO MARTINS AND GONÇALO FURTADO, COMPRENSÃO DA CIDADE DO PORTO ATÉ AO SÈCULO XX, IN: AAVV, “ARTECAPITAL”, ISBOA; JUNHO 2021, S.P. ISSN 21847029) A. The city of Porto underwent a profound transformation in the 20th century. The dominant rural area became an extensive agglomeration, concentrating almost all of the regional dynamics. B. After the 1974 revolution, the fields of culture and politics gained importance. Politics defined new approaches, and culture took advantage of the potential that had arisen1 . The increase in average culture is expressed in urban development, especially in the rehabilitation of necessary sites that give the city its identity. Awareness of national deficiencies, derived from the surge in emigration, triggered an attitude towards the city, highlighting the creation of teams set up for urban and regional planning, in the wake of Ezequiel Campos and Antão de Almeida Garret. Planning became the tool for solving Porto's urbanization problems. They delve deeper into the situation, identifying the precarious areas and the potential of the structure and urban fabrics. C. In this way, the 1980s and 1990s were a period of mental transformation2 . The analysis produced on the city's weaknesses and potential allowed urbanization practices to be organized, with an action plan. It was also a decade of preparation for the future, between 1990 and 2000. The 1978 plan (map.1) that precedes this period represents the evolution of the urban fabric, a great continuity between three realities, finding relationships with the stretch of Avenida da Boavista, between Avenida Antunes Guimarães and the recently opened Rua de S. João de Brito, the west side of the city and the extended central area and the central core. In the central core (to the south), following Fernando Távora's 1962 Master Plan for the Ribeira/Barreiro area, CURARB (Commissariat for the Urban Renewal of the Ribeira/Barredo Area was the entity responsible for the recovery and rehabilitation of Porto's Historic Center in Portugal between 1974 and 2003. It understood the Historic Center as a global heritage value that included, in addition to historical, architectural and aesthetic values, also a social and cultural reality, in order to resolve the various conflict situations and existing problems, with concerted and coherent action. To the west, the importance of Avenues Antunes Guimarães and Marechal Gomes da Costa in structuring this part of the city, in the emergence of a new reality, dominated by social housing, a built-up area corresponding to the social housing estates built by the city council between (1956-1966) - 6,000 homes spread over 16 estates, located in parishes such as Aldoar, Lordelo do ouro, Ramalde, Paranhos or Campanhã, often in absolutely empty territory, without continuity. Avenida da Boavista, in addition to the two new avenues, is the structuring of the entire territory, between Rua Guerra Junqueiro, Rua António Cardoso and Rua Campo Alegre, and is a consolidated structural axis all the way to Foz. Campo Alegre has seen its importance grow as a link to Foz, but above all in its articulation with Avenida da Boavista, in structuring the fabric between them, and with the Arrábida Bridge, in accessing the traffic circle via Rua de Gonçalo Sampaio, and the section of the VCI3 (Via de Cintura Interna ao Porto: Ring road infrastructure that circumscribes the city of Porto and Vila Nova de Gaia, which began construction in 1963 and was completed in 2007), between Poente and the Francos Node. The Boavista area is marked by a new facility, the Bom Sucesso market (1952), which centralizes food supplies. The completion of Avenida AIP and the corresponding link with Rua de 5 Outubro connect the city to the port of Leixões and the airport, boosting the development of the new centrality of Boavista4 . There is also a set of major infrastructures: Avenida AIP, densely occupied by industrial buildings, establishes a natural relationship with the fabric of Avenida Antunes Guimarães, which in turn connects with the new individual urban developments. At the end of the 1960s, Via Norte became the city's main exit towards Braga, which had previously been via Rua do Amial, representing the loss of importance of the city's five exit routes in structuring the territory. As a result, new cultural centers of varying design began to emerge, such as the Serralves house (new purpose) and the Casa das Artes (by architect Eduardo Souto de Moura)5 (img.1). Culture has seen rapid but fragile development. As part of this desire for a cultured city, education was rapidly boosted6 , with the creation of university centers, both in consolidated urban areas and in areas of expansion, such as: the FAUP and the Carlos Ramos pavilion (in 1986 by the architect Siza Vieira, in Campo Alegre7 )(img.2-3); the foundation of Portucalense University (1986) and the new Faculty of Dental Medicine (1988). There is also the restoration of structures and buildings from different eras that are more emblematic for the city, such as São Bento station, the pavilion in the gardens of the Palácio de Cristal, and the expansion of the Antas stadium. D. In the wake of the cultural and political campaigns, competitions and growing social and urban awareness of the 1980s, planning matured and was reflected in the 1990s, a decade of urban transformation8 , which would serve as the basis for urban development in the first decade of the 21st century. The speed of technical and technological evolution forced Porto's urban area to constantly renew itself, more advanced in some aspects, incipient in others. These were important aspects that allowed the development of imperative and concrete coordination of national and international projects in the city. The city's development at the time took place on various scales: local, regional and global, with a balanced progression of activities that were necessary to produce an attractive urban environment that was sufficiently capable of dealing with the problems of the time. E. According to the 1992 plan (map.1), the city had a new mobility reality compared to the 80s. The VCI up to the Antas junction, the A3 (link to Braga) and the A4 (link to Vila Real) give the city an effective regional infrastructure, organizing a range of international transport and trade services. The western part of the city is marked by the development around the Nó de Francos (with vast residential complexes usually; built high up and without a coherent supporting road structure), by the urbanizations at the end of Avenida da Boavista (high-rise buildings and single-family homes) and vast housing complexes in Aldoar. The Boavista area is marked by the installation of the Campo Alegre university campus on land close to the Arrábida Bridge. To the east, the grid is structured by Avenida de Magalhães, which has since been completed, linking Campo 24 de Agosto to the Areosa bypass9 . In the west of the city, a new bridge (Ponte de São João in 1991) (img.4) replaces the D. Maria Pia bridge as the railway infrastructure that carries the Northern Line over the River Douro to the city .10 F. In 1997, the VCI connection to the Freixo Bridge11 (1995) (img.9) was completed, making it possible to cross over to Gaia. It has eight interchanges with the A3/A4 freeways, Via Norte, Avenida AIP and a number of key urban streets. The city park (img.6), designed by landscape architect Sidónio Pardal in 1993, is defined as the great green structure of Porto12 , extending in 97 to the grounds of the popular fair (currently known as the queimódromo, where academic events from the Faculties of Porto are held), constituting a privileged space for collective use, symbolizing the change in the character of public spaces at the end of the 19th and 20th centuries. Citizens took the street, the square or the square as their privileged public space, and this definition included large urban parks, green corridors, and seafronts or riverfronts13 . G. The culture and desire to achieve an urban identity, following on from the previous decade, remain factors in urban transformation and intervention in the city. Following on from CRUARB, interventions intensified in the 90s. Between 1990 and 1994, the riverside area between Nova Alfândega and Largo de São Francisco was redeveloped (urban arrangement of the square, façades and arcades and public/social facilities such as the Lavadouro de S. Nicolau (img.7) and the parking lot on the Alfândega platform); the urban arrangement of Praça da Ribeira and the façades up to the D. Luís I Bridge; the new parking lot and commercial spaces in Praça da Lisboa, the promenade/garden of Virtudes14 . Between 1994 and 2000, the facades of various streets, neighborhoods and squares continued to be refurbished (Sé, Rua dos Mercadores, Rua das Flores and Largo do Colégio); in the riverside area, the Marginal, Miragaia and Cais das Pedras viaducts were urbanized; public, commercial and cultural facilities were built, such as the Ateliers Lada, for artists (img.12), (next to the Ribeira Tunnel), the Miragaia Musical Group, the São Sebastião Market (img.10) (next to Avenida da Ponte), the Casa dos 24 (img.13), (next to the Cathedral) and the City Museum (opposite Rua de Monchique)15 . In 1996, the Historic Center of Porto, the oldest area of the cities of Porto and Vila Nova de Gaia, was classified as a World Heritage Site (corresponding to the urban fabric marked by the city's medieval origins and including territories located in the former parishes of Sé, São Nicolau, Vitória and Miragaia). Despite all the evolution and changes that have taken place over time in Porto's historic center, even today the observation of the urban ensemble is based on the old medieval hull, providing an image of coherence and homogeneity. It suggests immutability and permanence over time, thus constituting a unique example of an urban landscape endowed with identity, strong character and aesthetic quality16 . Still within the rehabilitation of buildings of urban expression, the Alfandega building (1990-92) (img.5) was refurbished by architect Eduardo Souto de Moura to house a Congress Center, the Museum of Transport and Communications and the headquarters of the Museum of Transport and Communications Association (AMTC), in addition to the existing architectural heritage; the Bolhão Market in (1990-94) (img.8), with the aim of preserving the building's architectural and local heritage; and São Bento Station (1991-96), where the station's access tunnels, boarding piers and all the rest of the railway infrastructure (symbology) were renovated17 . H. In this cultural context, the Serralves Museum of Contemporary Art (1996-99) was designed by the architect Siza Vieira (img11). The building,18 , is located within the Serralves park itself (covering some 3.5 hectares), delicately enveloping the site and exhibiting works of art by various contemporary artists. At the turn of the millennium, the Ibero-American Summit (SECIB - Secretariat for Ibero-American Cooperation) was held in Porto (1998), as part of the globalization of culture, education and the economy; I. The investment in education is reflected in the completion of universities: Instituto Português de Administração de Marketing do Porto, 1990 (IPAMP); Escola Superior de Enfermagem do Porto 1991 (ESEP); Escola Superior de Saúde de Santa Maria, 1991 (ESSM); Escola Superior de Música e Artes do Espetáculo 1994 (ESMAE); Fernando Pessoa 1996 (UFP); and the Faculdade de Arquitetura da Universidade do Porto 1996 (FAUP), designed by Siza Vieira.19 J. The transition to the 21st century was a moment when the wishes of the end of the 20th century came to fruition, transforming the city on various scales into an image closer to the current one. The desire to provide the city with better conditions to host new activities, new initiatives and new projects marked the initiatives that changed the urban dynamics of the city of Porto20 . K. It thus starts with programs such as Porto 2001, which intervene directly in the old center, to respond to the weaknesses of the area, in phase with the new centralities that were emerging throughout the city21 . With regard to intervention in the public space, the intentions essentially corresponded to its requalification and the reinforcement of its character; the adaptation of spaces in order to support their present functions and possible adaptations to new circulation and traffic requirements; the identification of areas for the installation of equipment and street furniture, but also for the installation of works of art of public expression; and the identification of infrastructure works that would improve the functioning of the city. In the case of buildings, it was considered necessary to restore buildings at street façade level, also intervening in those that had been affected in their architecture and monumentality over time, carrying out an inventory of buildings for the installation of future housing or commercial functions and intervening in large buildings proposing new functions and new uses. Some examples of these interventions and new facilities are the Campo Alegre Municipal Theatre (2000) (img.14), the redesign of Avenida da Ponte by Álvaro Siza (2001) and the restoration and design of the old town hall (casa dos 24) (img.13) by the architect Fernando Távora (2003)22 ; the replacement of the Guindais Funicular (img.18), which corresponds to the streetcar on the boulevard of Rua Augusto Rosa; the redesign of Praça da Batalha, Largo 1º Dezembro and a support square on Rua de Cimo de Vila; and the redevelopment of Rua 31 de Janeiro, Rua Santo Ildefonso and Rua Augusto Rosa, with changes to their layout to include the streetcar and improve pedestrian conditions23 ; the redesign of Avenida dos Aliados by Álvaro Siza, together with the construction of the associated metro stations by Eduardo Souto de Moura (2010); the intervention of the current Lisbon square, as a new urban design for the public space (2010-2013) (img.22); the renovation of the Bolhão Market (2015)24 L. In addition to the interventions mentioned above, some interventions and structures outside the central area stand out, such as the installation of the water pavilion in the city park, which represented Porto at Expo98 in Lisbon, being completely rebuilt (2002); and the construction of the Dragão Stadium (2003) (img.17), serving as a stage for the Euro 2004 events, with Portugal as Host of the competition; the Burgo office tower (img.20), designed by Eduardo Souto de Moura (2007); the Casa da Música, in Boavista, designed by Rem Khoolhaas (2004-2005)25 (img.19); the new FPCEUP facilities next to the Paranhos university residence, in pole 2 of the university (2005), designed by Fernando Távora26 ; and the Faculty of Fine Arts of the University of Porto, an autonomous building that increased the available area by 40%, designed by the architect Alcino Soutinho in 2006.27 M. Together with the Porto 2001 Program, the Metro do Porto program played an important role in the urban regeneration of the city center (mobility and image of the city). The first line inaugurated was the connection between Trindade Station and Senhor de Matosinhos (2002), which was progressively expanded to other parts of the city and metropolitan area. The metro network includes three types of approach to its layout: the surface route in the city, redeveloping the existing public space and creating new axes in consolidated territory; the subway route, intervening in the areas surrounding and adjacent to the accesses to the underground stations; and the suburban surface route, taking advantage of the old railway channels. The center of Porto emerged as a relevant intervention in the project, being the area where most lines cross and where there was the greatest improvement of public space, intervening in the surroundings of important points such as Trindade, Praça da Liberdade and Avenida dos Aliados or Bolhão. The urban requalification of the areas surrounding the stations included the organization of street furniture, the improvement of pedestrian routes, increasing sidewalks and freeing them from possible obstacles, the creation of green spaces and strong tree planting to accompany the lines; the re-profiling of streets and the elimination of parking along the carriageways; and the improvement of lighting conditions from signage to public lighting.28 N. In terms of infrastructure, there was the construction of a new bridge, the Infante Bridge (2003) (img.16); the integration of the upper deck of the D. Luís Bridge into line D of the Porto Metro (2005); and the completion of the VCI in 2007, on the Vila Nova de Gaia side (2007). O. In parallel with the Porto 2001 and Metro S.A. programs, work is being carried out on the Atlantic coastline and the mouth of the Douro river, through the Pólis program. The launch of the Pólis Programme (Urban Requalification and Environmental Enhancement of Cities Programme), which optimizes the proximity between the city park and the sea, creating a leisure hub.29 The redevelopment of Porto's seafront, combined with the renovation of the Matosinhos Marginal, gave shape to the Passeio Atlântico (img.15), marked by environmental and public space concerns. Also in this context, we can see the Leixões Cruise Terminal project (2010-2015), designed by architect Luís Pedro Silva30 (img.21). P - REFERENCES: 1 - RAMOS, Luís A. De Oliveira, "História do Porto", Porto Editora, 1994, page 81; 2 - PERREIRA, Paula Cristina, "condição humana e condição urbana", Edições Afrontamento, 2011, page 21. 3 - FIGUEIRO, Ricardo, "O Porto visto por Arquitectos: Some questions about the city" 1990, page 3; 4 - OLIVEIRA, Vítor Manuel Araújo de Oliveira, "A Evolução das Formas Urbanas de Lisboa e Porto nos séculos XIX e XX", U.Porto Editorial, Porto, 2013, page 119; 5 - RAMOS, Luís A. De Oliveira, "História do Porto", Porto Editora, 1994, page 590; 6 - LOPES, João Teixeira, "A Cidade e a Cultura: Um estudo sobre práticas culturais urbanas", Edições afrontamento and Câmara Municipal do Porto, 2000, page 81; 7 - FERNANDES, Maria Eugénia Matos, "A Universidade do Porto e a Cidade: Edifícios ao longo da História", Gráfica Maiadouro, 2007, page 109; 8 - RAMOS, Luís A. De Oliveira, "História do Porto", Porto Editora, Porto, 1994, page 598; 9 - OLIVEIRA, Vítor Manuel Araújo de Oliveira, "A Evolução das Formas Urbanas de Lisboa e Porto nos séculos XIX e XX", U.Porto Editorial, Porto, 2013, page 120; 10 - SOARES, Luís de Lousada, "A Ponte de S. João: Nova ponte ferroviária sobre o Rio Douro no Porto", Ferdouro, ACE, Porto, 1991, pages 36-37; 11 - FERNANDES, José A.Rio, CHAMUSCA, Pedro and FERNANDES, Inês, "Avenida dos Aliados e Baixa do Porto: Usos e Movimentos", Porto vivo, SRU, 1st Edition, 2014, page 48; 12 - PARDAL, Sidónio, "Parque da Cidade do Porto: Ideia e Paisagem", CMP - Câmara Municipal do Porto, Porto, 1st Edition, 2006, page 17; 13 - OLIVEIRA, Vítor Manuel Araújo de Oliveira, "A Evolução das Formas Urbanas de Lisboa e Porto nos séculos XIX e XX", U.Porto Editorial, Porto, 2013, page 121; 14 - CRUARB, "Porto Património Mundial III: CRUARB 25 anos de reabilitação urbana.", CMP, Porto, 2000/2001, pages 25-33; 15 - Ibi Idem, pages 33-46; 16 - LOZA, Rui Ramos, "Porto Património Mundial", Porto City Council Edition, CMP, Porto, 1st Edition, 1998, pages 27-35; 17 - MARTINS, João; BRION, Madalena; SOUSA, Miguel; et al., "O Caminho de Ferro Revisitado. The Railroad in Portugal from 1856 to 1996." Lisbon: Caminhos de Ferro Portugueses, 1996 18 - BARATA, Paulo Martins, SILVA, Raquel Henriques and ALMEIDA, Bernardo Pinto, "Museu de Serralves: Álvaro Siza", White & Blue, 1st Edition, 2001, page 34; 19 - FERNANDES, Maria Eugénia Matos, "A Universidade do Porto e a Cidade: Edifícios ao longo da História", Gráfica Maiadouro, 2007, pages 90-109; 20 - CUNHA, P. S. "Presentation. In Porto 2001: Back to the Downtown. Consultation for the preparation of the Porto Downtown Redevelopment Program". FAUP publications, Porto, 2000, pages 11-12; 21 - FERNANDES, J. A. R., Pinto, J. R., Chamusca. P. "Suburbia, in the relationship between planning and urbanization: Porto at the turn of the century (XIX- XX and XX-XXI)". In Proceedings of the 1st International Meeting - Geography & Politics, Policies and Planning. Porto, 2013. pp. 319-331. 22 - REAL, Manuel Luís, "A ponte e a Avenida: contradições urbanísticas no centro histórico do Porto", CMP Editores, Porto, 2001, page 69 23 - DIAS, A. "East A - Batalha/Guindais. In Porto 2001: Return to the Downtown." Consultation for the preparation of the Porto Downtown Redevelopment Program, FAUP publications Porto, 2000, pages 190-203; 24 - Ibi Idem, page 81 25 - DOMINGUES, Álvaro António Gomes, "Porto Património Mundial: 20 anos, 20 Imagens = Porto World Heritage: 20 years, 20 pictures = Porto Patrimoine mondial: 20 ans, 20 photos : 1996-2016, Imprensa Nacional-Casa da Moeda, Lisbon, 2016, page 34; 26 - FERNANDES, Maria Eugénia Matos, "A Universidade do Porto e a Cidade: Edifícios ao longo da História", Gráfica Maiadouro, 2007, page 115; 27 - Ibi Idem, page 127 Q - BIBIOGRAPHY: BARATA, Paulo Martins, SILVA, Raquel Henriques and ALMEIDA, Bernardo Pinto, "Serralves Museum: Álvaro Siza", White & Blue, 1st Edition, 2001; CORREIA, Francisco Nunes, "Passeio Atlântico", Editores Gabinete Programa Polis, Lisbon, 2002; CRUARB, "Porto Património Mundial III: CRUARB 25 anos de reabilitação urbana.", CMP, Porto, 2000/2001; 28 - PINHO, P., & Vilares, M. "A Avaliação das Grandes Obras Públicas - O Caso do Metro do Porto. Porto", FEUP Edições, Porto, 2009, page 71; 29 - CORREIA, Francisco Nunes, "Passeio Atlântico", Editores Gabinete Programa Polis, Lisbon, 2002, page 15 30 - SILVA, Luís Pedro, "Terminal de cruzeiros de Leixões", Uzina Books, Lisbon, 2016, page 10 CUNHA, P. S. "Presentation. In Porto 2001: Back to the Downtown. Consultation for the preparation of the Porto Downtown Redevelopment Program". FAUP publications, Porto, 2000; DIAS, A. "East A - Batalha/Guindais. In Porto 2001: Return to the Downtown." Consultation for the preparation of the Porto Downtown Redevelopment Program, FAUP publications Porto, 2000; DOMINGUES, Álvaro António Gomes, "Porto Património Mundial: 20 anos, 20 Imagens = Porto World Heritage: 20 years, 20 pictures = Porto Patrimoine mondial: 20 ans, 20 photos : 1996-2016, Imprensa Nacional-Casa da Moeda, Lisbon, 2016; FERNANDES, José A.Rio, CHAMUSCA, Pedro and FERNANDES, Inês, "Avenida dos Aliados e Baixa do Porto: Usos e Movimentos", Porto vivo, SRU, 1st Edition, 2014; FERNANDES, J. A. R., Pinto, J. R., Chamusca. P. "Suburbia, in the relationship between planning and urbanization: Porto at the turn of the century (XIX- XX and XX-XXI)". In Proceedings of the 1st International Meeting - Geography & Politics, Policies and Planning. Porto, 2013; FERNANDES, Maria Eugénia Matos, "A Universidade do Porto e a Cidade: Edifícios ao longo da História", Gráfica Maiadouro, 2007; FIGUEIRO, Ricardo, "O Porto visto por Arquitectos: Some questions about the city" 1990; LOPES, João Teixeira, "A Cidade e a Cultura: Um estudo sobre práticas culturais urbanas", Edições afrontamento and Câmara Municipal do Porto, 2000; LOZA, Rui Ramos, "Porto Património Mundial", Porto City Council Edition, CMP, Porto, 1st Edition, 1998; MARTINS, João; BRION, Madalena; SOUSA, Miguel; et al., "O Caminho de Ferro Revisitado. The Railroad in Portugal from 1856 to 1996." Lisbon: Caminhos de Ferro Portugueses, 1996; OLIVEIRA, Vítor Manuel Araújo de Oliveira, "A Evolução das Formas Urbanas de Lisboa e Porto nos séculos XIX e XX", U.Porto Editorial, Porto, 2013; PERREIRA, Paula Cristina, "condição humana e condição urbana", Edições Afrontamento, 2011; PINHO, P., & Vilares, M. "A Avaliação das Grandes Obras Públicas - O Caso do Metro do Porto. Porto", FEUP Edições, Porto, 2009; RAMOS, Luís A. De Oliveira, "História do Porto", Porto Editora, 1994; REAL, Manuel Luís, "A ponte e a Avenida: contradições urbanísticas no centro histórico do Porto", CMP Editores, Porto, 2001; SILVA, Luís Pedro, "Terminal de cruzeiros de Leixões", Uzina Books, Lisbon, 2016; SOARES, Luís de Lousada, "A Ponte de S. João: Nova ponte ferroviária sobre o Rio Douro no Porto", Ferdouro, ACE, Porto, 1991;