Esta dissertação aborda o processo de revitalização do Centro de Santos em curso desde fins da década de 1980 até o presente. Ela está dividida em cinco capítulos. O primeiro busca enfocar aspectos relevantes do referencial teórico sobre intervenções do Poder Público em áreas centrais nos períodos Moderno e Contemporâneo e as aproximações possíveis com o Centro de Santos. No capítulo seguinte pretende-se investigar o crescimento e o apogeu dessa área, com a expansão do porto e as riquezas advindas com o comércio do café. O terceiro capítulo trata da decadência do Centro com a evasão das camadas de alta renda e a precariedade habitacional. O quarto capítulo analisa o processo de revitalização, considerando a questão da legislação, das intervenções e dos projetos para a área, sobretudo no período compreendido pelas duas administrações do PT (1989-1992; 1993-1996). O quinto capítulo continua essa analise para as administrações seguintes, de orientação política antagônica, do antigo PPB (1997-2000; 2001-2004). Por fim, a conclusão avalia o processo de ascensão e declínio do Centro de Santos e as mudanças havidas em relação à política de planejamento urbano para essa área no contexto contemporâneo. / This dissertation evaluates the process of urban revitalization of Santos City Center in course since the late 1980s. It is divided in five chapters. The first analyses the changes in the theory of central area public intervention from Modern to Contemporary periods and defines Santos Historical Center as the case study. The following chapter investigates the growth and the apogee of this area with the port expansion and the resulting wealth with coffee commerce. The third chapter deals with the City Center decay with the evasion of high-income strata and the resulting housing precariousness. The fourth chapter analyzes the law, the interventions and the projects referring to the area, over the period of two PT offices (1989-1992; 1993-1996). The fifth chapter continues these analyses during the old PPB offices (1997-2000; 2001-2004) with an opposite political view. Finally, the conclusion evaluates the process of growth and decline of Santos City Center and the changes in relation to urban planning policies for this area in the present context.

O trabalho procura identificar transformações ocorridas no Centro de São Paulo a partir do início dos anos 90 até a atualidade. O território do Centro chega à década de 90 carregado de complexidades sociais, divulgadas, ideologicamente, como degradação. Ao mesmo tempo em que se situa entre os principais polos de empregos do Município, concentra um grande número de imóveis vazios e espaços públicos em mal estado de conservação. Neste contexto, foi criado o discurso de revitalização da região, que passou a permear a esfera pública e fundamentar uma série de ações pulverizadas do poder público. Visto sob o ângulo dos pressupostos deste discurso, poucas mudanças ocorreram nos últimos vinte anos. Visto por outro ângulo, entretanto, muito mudou e vem mudando. Para identificar o que está acontecendo no Centro de São Paulo entre os anos 1990 e 2000, a pesquisa investigou o perfil da população atualmente residente e dos usos do solo; os postos de empregos concentrados na Região Central; as principais políticas públicas implantadas a partir da década de 90 e as principais mudanças ocorridas no ambiente construído durante o período estudado. Como caminhos para investigação de tais mudanças, a pesquisa adotou duas frentes: a análise da dinâmica de ocupação dos edifícios de escritórios, tendo em vista tratar-se da tipologia com maiores percentagens de vacância; e a análise de empreendimentos privados de reforma de edifícios verticais residenciais. / This work seeks to identify transformations occurred in São Paulo city center from the early 90s until today. In the 90s, the city center territory is fraught with social complexities, ideologically publicized as degradation. While on the one hand it is located between São Paulos main employment hubs, it concentrates a large number of vacant properties and public spaces in poor maintenance conditions. In this context, the speech on revitalization of the area was created, began to permeate the public sphere and support a series of random actions by the government. From the perspective of the assumptions of this speech, few changes occurred in the last twenty years. However, seen from another angle, much has changed and has been changing. In order to identify what happened in São Paulo city center between 1990 and 2000, this research investigated the profile of the current resident population and land use; employment positions concentrated in the central area; main public policies implemented from the 90s and major changes that occurred in the built environment during the period studied. As avenues for investigation of such changes, the research adopted two fronts: the analysis of office buildings occupation dynamics, considering that this is the typology with the highest vacancy rates; and the analysis of private development projects of renovation of vertical residential buildings.

This thesis is set in St. Catharines Ontario, a mid-sized city of 132,000 people, situated in the heart of the Niagara Region. Once a thriving manufacturing centre, St. Catharines has experienced two decades of traumatic economic contraction due to the collapse of the local automotive industry. Like other cities that have experienced the loss of their predominant industry, St. Catharines is struggling not only with unemployment, economic uncertainty and environmental degradation, but also with issues concerning the city’s very identity. As industrial activity played a critical role in shaping the form and character of the city, its steady disappearance has left both a functional and symbolic void in the community. The challenges associated with deindustrialization and decentralized urbanization have had a devastating impact on St. Catharines. The city’s historic core has not only lost its role as the symbolic centre of the community, unrelenting suburban expansion has also led to the destruction of some of Canada’s most productive agricultural terrain in the surrounding vicinity. This thesis argues that the current economic crisis offers a unique opportunity to radically reconsider St. Catharines’ urban environment. The thesis looks to the earth – the terroir – as the basis for the development of a robust vision to transform the city’s underappreciated historic core into a hub for the Niagara Region’s expanding wine industry. Essential to this vision is the extensive cultivation of urban vineyards and the planning of key pieces of urban armature around which future development will occur. The design aims to improve the overall quality-of-life offered in St. Catharines, and build a broader sense of community by enhancing the unique experience of the place and engaging citizens in the local wine enterprise.

This thesis is set in St. Catharines Ontario, a mid-sized city of 132,000 people, situated in the heart of the Niagara Region. Once a thriving manufacturing centre, St. Catharines has experienced two decades of traumatic economic contraction due to the collapse of the local automotive industry. Like other cities that have experienced the loss of their predominant industry, St. Catharines is struggling not only with unemployment, economic uncertainty and environmental degradation, but also with issues concerning the city’s very identity. As industrial activity played a critical role in shaping the form and character of the city, its steady disappearance has left both a functional and symbolic void in the community. The challenges associated with deindustrialization and decentralized urbanization have had a devastating impact on St. Catharines. The city’s historic core has not only lost its role as the symbolic centre of the community, unrelenting suburban expansion has also led to the destruction of some of Canada’s most productive agricultural terrain in the surrounding vicinity. This thesis argues that the current economic crisis offers a unique opportunity to radically reconsider St. Catharines’ urban environment. The thesis looks to the earth – the terroir – as the basis for the development of a robust vision to transform the city’s underappreciated historic core into a hub for the Niagara Region’s expanding wine industry. Essential to this vision is the extensive cultivation of urban vineyards and the planning of key pieces of urban armature around which future development will occur. The design aims to improve the overall quality-of-life offered in St. Catharines, and build a broader sense of community by enhancing the unique experience of the place and engaging citizens in the local wine enterprise.

People who live in cities are far more likely to suffer the physical and psychological effects of urban environments--high noise levels, automobile emissions, toxic industrial waste, crowded living conditions, and a general scarcity of open space. Combating these issues, public parks do more than provide recreational space. They are fundamental to any efforts focusing on urban revitalization, social justice, and sustainability. In downtown Los Angeles, public parks are rare, especially in low-income communities. Several new public parks have reclaimed abandoned land, unwelcoming spaces, and the City’s brownfields. After years of intense private use and neglect, spent land has been reinvigorated as green communal space. This study focuses on Vista Hermosa Natural Park, Grand Park, and Los Angeles State Historic Park. It combines previous research with site visits and interviews that explore the degree of success these recent reclamation movements have experienced and if there are any lessons learned than can be applied elsewhere. My conclusion is that the reclamation movement in Los Angeles is largely successful, especially when parks feature multiple benefits such as ecological restoration, recreational enhancement, and cultural engagement. But the less community involvement and public accessibility any reclaimed park has, the less success a park will have in alleviating spatial injustice.

O trabalho dedica-se à temática da intervenção através de projetos desenvolvidos a partir de preexistências e relacionados à apropriação de espaços abandonados: vazios urbanos. Abordam-se questões relacionadas à paisagem urbana e à inserção de edifícios icônicos como estratégias de requalificação e potencialização de contextos existentes, agregando novos programas e complexidades. Aos fragmentos teóricos acerca do tema, sobrepõe-se o desafio de estudar as dinâmicas da cidade contemporânea e os confrontamentos e sobreposições entre concepções de cidade moderna e tradicional. Entre as obras relevantes ao estudo, foram selecionados três projetos do escritório paulista Brasil Arquitetura e três projetos do escritório suíço Herzog & de Meuron para compor os contextos nacionais e internacionais respectivamente. Os estudos de caso são contextualizados por um panorama de obras a fim de ressaltar a importância e a pertinência do tema. Propõe-se uma aproximação entre os projetos selecionados considerando a interação destes com a identidade histórica e a memória urbana, evidenciando-se o conceito de lugar. A pesquisa sugere o reconhecimento da arquitetura como ferramenta de intervenção no existente, sem, entretanto, analisar critérios e procedimentos intervencionistas. Assim, investiga-se as relações entre teoria e a prática projetual considerando-se a produção recente e novos conceitos propostos pela sobreposição de camadas do construído. / This study comprises the theme of intervention through projects developed based on preexistences and associated with the appropriation of abandoned spaces: urban voids. It deals with issues related to urban landscape and to the incorporation of iconic buildings as strategies of requalification and potentiality of existing contexts, adding new programs and complexities. To the theoretical fragments regarding the theme, it is added the challenge of studying contemporary city dynamics and the confrontations and overlappings between modern and traditional city concepts. Among the pertinent works to this study, three projects from the São Paulo-based office, Brasil Arquitetura, and three projects from the Swiss-based office, Herzog & de Meuron, were selected to compose the national and international contexts, respectively. The case studies are contextualized by a panorama of works in order to highlight the importance and relevance of the subject. It is proposed an approach between the projects selected taking into account their interaction with the historical identity and the urban memory, evidencing the concept of place. This study suggests the acknowledgment of architecture as a tool of intervention on the existing context without, however, analyzing interventionist criteria and procedures. Therefore, it investigates the relationship between theory and design practice considering the recent architectural production and new concepts proposed by superposition of layers of built.

O trabalho dedica-se à temática da intervenção através de projetos desenvolvidos a partir de preexistências e relacionados à apropriação de espaços abandonados: vazios urbanos. Abordam-se questões relacionadas à paisagem urbana e à inserção de edifícios icônicos como estratégias de requalificação e potencialização de contextos existentes, agregando novos programas e complexidades. Aos fragmentos teóricos acerca do tema, sobrepõe-se o desafio de estudar as dinâmicas da cidade contemporânea e os confrontamentos e sobreposições entre concepções de cidade moderna e tradicional. Entre as obras relevantes ao estudo, foram selecionados três projetos do escritório paulista Brasil Arquitetura e três projetos do escritório suíço Herzog & de Meuron para compor os contextos nacionais e internacionais respectivamente. Os estudos de caso são contextualizados por um panorama de obras a fim de ressaltar a importância e a pertinência do tema. Propõe-se uma aproximação entre os projetos selecionados considerando a interação destes com a identidade histórica e a memória urbana, evidenciando-se o conceito de lugar. A pesquisa sugere o reconhecimento da arquitetura como ferramenta de intervenção no existente, sem, entretanto, analisar critérios e procedimentos intervencionistas. Assim, investiga-se as relações entre teoria e a prática projetual considerando-se a produção recente e novos conceitos propostos pela sobreposição de camadas do construído. / This study comprises the theme of intervention through projects developed based on preexistences and associated with the appropriation of abandoned spaces: urban voids. It deals with issues related to urban landscape and to the incorporation of iconic buildings as strategies of requalification and potentiality of existing contexts, adding new programs and complexities. To the theoretical fragments regarding the theme, it is added the challenge of studying contemporary city dynamics and the confrontations and overlappings between modern and traditional city concepts. Among the pertinent works to this study, three projects from the São Paulo-based office, Brasil Arquitetura, and three projects from the Swiss-based office, Herzog & de Meuron, were selected to compose the national and international contexts, respectively. The case studies are contextualized by a panorama of works in order to highlight the importance and relevance of the subject. It is proposed an approach between the projects selected taking into account their interaction with the historical identity and the urban memory, evidencing the concept of place. This study suggests the acknowledgment of architecture as a tool of intervention on the existing context without, however, analyzing interventionist criteria and procedures. Therefore, it investigates the relationship between theory and design practice considering the recent architectural production and new concepts proposed by superposition of layers of built.

The thesis called Crisis of public space and the attempts for its revitalisation is trying to analyse public space from the perspective of urban anthropology and sociology and it introduces the role of semiotics in this issue. It presents the crisis of public space and tries to uncover the causes and possible solutions. It opposes the modernistic concepts of the city which looked away from the human aspect and focuses on everyday life of people in urban space. The thesis adverts to the necessity of blending various fields which deal with the issue of public space and perceiving the city as a whole. It takes notice of the mutual relationship of space and people, of creating individual's identity and character of the society based on the environment which surrounds it and at the same time the possibility for everyone to participate in changing their surroundings, mind patterns and perception. At first, this thesis addresses the issue of the definition of public space, presents the fundamental theoretical publications dealing with its origin and crisis. Then it in detail describes the characteristics of the city, analyses the demand for good-quality space and takes notice of the tendencies that threaten public space. In terms of the attempts to revitalize public space, this thesis points out the...

[pt] A Avenida W3 Sul foi famosa pelo seu comércio local em Brasília e teve grande destaque social e cultural na vida dos brasilienses nas décadas de 1960 e 1970, tendo sido palco de grandes passeatas e festividades. Com o desenvolvimento da cidade e o surgimento de novos centros comerciais (shoppings centers e comércio local adjacente às superquadras), a avenida entrou em decadência e perdeu sua relevância, transformando-se em uma Avenida degradada, marcada simultaneamente, por um processo de depredação e desuso. Ao longo dos anos, iniciativas governamentais e privadas foram tomadas com o intuito de revitalizar a região. Contudo, em sua maioria não foram implementadas ou não foram efetivas. Esta é uma pesquisa bibliográfica, documental, com pesquisa de campo e estudo de caso que tem como intuito elencar as razões que levaram à decadência da Avenida, diagnosticar seus principais problemas e analisar as propostas de projetos de revitalização existentes, com o propósito de compreender como cada proposta interfere na Avenida. A partir disso, o resultado obtido irá contemplar um documento, com diretrizes e premissas, que considera conceitos urbanísticos importantes relacionados à vitalidade, diversidade de usos e priorização do pedestre em relação ao uso do automóvel, com intuito de embasar futuros projetos de intervenção na Avenida W3 Sul. Este trabalho não se esgota nesta pesquisa, pois pretende-se continuar seu desenvolvimento academicamente. Almeja-se que esta pesquisa seja uma referência na área, com foco na revitalização da W3 Sul, e, dessa forma, poderá contribuir com trabalhos futuros. / [en] W3 South Avenue was famous for its local commerce in Brasilia and had great social prominence in the lives of Brasilia residents in the 1960s and 1970s, having been the scene of large marches and festivities. With the development of the city and the emergence of new commercial centers (shopping malls and local commerce adjacent to the superblocks). The Avenue fell into decay and lost its relevance, becoming a degraded Avenue, simultaneously marked by a process of depredation and disuse. Over the years, government and private initiatives have been taken with the aim of revitalizing the region. However, most of them were not implemented or were not effective. This is a bibliographical, documentary research, with field research and case study that aims to list the reasons that led to the decay of the Avenue, diagnose its main problems, and analyze the proposals for existing revitalization projects, with the purpose of understanding how each proposal interferes with the Avenue. From this, the result obtained will include a document, with guidelines and assumptions, which considers important urban concepts related to vitality, diversity of uses, and pedestrian prioritization in relation to car use, with the aim of supporting future intervention projects on the W3 South Avenue. This work does not end with this research, as it is intended to continue its development academically. It is hoped that this research will be a reference in the area, focusing on the revitalization of W3 South Avenue, and, in this way, it will be able to contribute to future work.

[pt] A presente pesquisa pretende investigar como os mecanismos de mercantilização do espaço urbano da zona portuária performatizam a construção de uma nova imagem de cidade para o consumo global, através do projeto de intervenção do Porto Maravilha. Dessa forma, a partir de uma revisão bibliográfica sobre o tema e de uma pesquisa de campo com a realização de entrevistas, buscase refletir sobre o planejamento urbano das cidades contemporâneas, interpretadas enquanto produto mercadológico e vinculadas a um pensamento estratégico citadino. Assim, pretende-se elucidar o debate a respeito da construção de imagens-sínteses de cidades portuárias, das relações entre seus agentes sociais e culturais, assim como dos impactos sociais e econômicos dessas intervenções, especificamente do caso do Porto Maravilha, sobre essa população e o seu território. Além disso, é oportuno destacarmos alguns elementos-chave que fundamentam a análise conceitual e teórica a respeito da mercantilização urbana, tais como o branding urbano, o planejamento estratégico e a gentrificação, uma vez que esses três mecanismos operam numa reificação da cidade enquanto objeto, produto. Por esse viés, pode-se apreender o funcionamento dessa sistemática de planejamento, que visa à produção de ambientes criados para uma expectativa de consumo alinhada a uma cultura do espetáculo, que, por vezes, fere a própria memória do lugar pela prevalência de demandas globais (Sánchez, 2013). Desse modo, a questão central que se pretende explanar é como essa mercantilização do espaço urbano opera no território e seu impacto econômico e social para a área retratada. / [en] The present research intends to investigate how the mercantilization mechanisms of the portuary zone s urban spaces produce the construction and resignification of a new city image for the global consumption, through the intervention project of Porto Maravilha. Therefore, it is proposed a theoretical and conceptual analysis that allows a critical reflection on the urban planning of contemporary cities, interpreted, in this way, as a marketing product and linked to a strategic urban thinking. Thus, it is expected that this critical analysis provides elements to support the debate about how the relations with the portuary zone s social actors are made, as well as the economic and social impacts of this intervention on the population. The matter in question raises the approach to other topics such as urban marketing, strategic planning and gentrification, since these three items operate in the contemporary city in order to transmute it as an object. Urban branding works in order to implement in its intervention field a new identity and image, while influencing not only its structural operation but also the readability of these spaces by its users and inhabitants (SILVA, 2011; LYNCH, 2003). Regarding the transformation of the port area into a large business district, driven by urban and financial capital forces, it is hypothesized that there is an ongoing process of urban gentrification in the region, whose degraded and empty spaces are result of a conception that enhances the objectification of the city, for example the Mauá Plaza, in which we can locate th Museum of Tomorrow and MAR, synthesis-images of the Porto Maravilha project meaning (SÁNCHEZ and GUTERMAN, 2016).