Research Catalogue

About this exposition

Acknowledging the importance of dominant global discourses and aesthetics in the validation of a hegemonic urban development model that reinforces urban inequality, this paper addresses the need for narratives and representations that challenge current paradigms. Taking the city of Porto as a case study, we hypothesize that within this context, the acknowledgment and valuation of informal dwelling may provide relevant contributions to the construction of such alternative discourses. Delving into the aesthetics and the implicit politics of informal dwelling, we examine its contributions towards aesthetic and social diversity, and the opportunities it presents for participation in the construction of Western urban landscapes. Contrasting the emanant visual character of informal dwelling with hegemonic representations and re-branding narratives in the city of Porto, the paper brings light to a ubiquitous, yet disregarded reality that may bring crucial inputs to a purposeful debate on diversity, equity, and democracy in urban environments. Aknowledgement This article is part of the research project “Visual and semantic identities of the city of Porto: an ascertainment of the contributions of informal dwelling”, funded by the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) and the European Social Fund (ESF), under the grant PD/BD/150641/2020

type	research exposition
keywords	informal dwelling, gentrification, Porto, countervisuality, Hegemonic discourses
date	30/05/2022
last modified	15/12/2023
status	in progress
share status	public
copyright	Ana Miriam Rebelo; Heitor Alvelos; Álvaro Domingues
license	All rights reserved
url	https://www.researchcatalogue.net/view/1698450/1698449
external link	https://ler.letras.up.pt/uploads/ficheiros/19237.pdf

an international database for artistic research

The improvised city: contributions of informal dwelling towards an expanded paradigm of the metropolis. The case of Porto, Portugal (last edited: 2023)

Simple Media