Fernando Távora Oporto’s Urban Renewal: A Changing Moment in Urban Rehabilitation Policy Debate

Abstract

In the late 1960s, Portugal underwent political changes that put the country on the road to the revolutionary process which culminated in 1974. At the National Meeting of Architects (1969), advocates spoke in favor of a new path, one that would encourage architects to assume a greater social role. In this context, the Barredo Urban Renewal Study—a strategic urban plan coordinated by Fernando Távora and presented in 1969—was groundbreaking in its innovative approach to the management policies of the old urban areas of that time, demanding a new cultural and social vision of the city. This research intends to understand the importance of the Barredo Urban Renewal Study, not only in terms of the architect’s new critical awareness but also as a new humanistic approach to urban policies looking for greater urban renewal to be integrated within the scope of local development dynamics.