Perspectives on the city: an interdisciplinary study of historic centres
“Miradas” is a webpage created for academic use at the unit course “Perspectives on the city: an interdisciplinary study of historic centres” [Olhares sobre a cidade] at FCSH NOVA. It aims:
- to reflect on the new challenges resulting from socio-cultural and economic phenomena that materialise in the citys’s public space, particularly in historic centres, through participant observation approaches;
- to contribute to the creation of a state-of-the-art of work carried out in Mouraria, focusing on the themes of housing and lifestyle over time, through the creation of relevant bibliographic lists;
- to identify and characterise the heritage elements (tangible and intangible) of the Mouraria neighbourhood, locating them spatially and contextualising them;
- to support the preparation of future fieldwork within the framework of Erasmus+ BIP “Miradas sobre la Ciudad”.
The course focuses on the study of a historic area of the city of Lisbon, Mouraria, which has been particularly affected by tourism activities and the new dynamics of urban regeneration, with significant negative effects on the quality of life of residents and the loss of the neighbourhood character that has always characterised this area. Strongly multicultural, these heritage communities are facing increasing challenges, which this project is identifying intending to present proposals for a sustainable urban model characterised by equitable resilience and the inclusion of historical and cultural values.
Through a first phase of characterisation of the study area, supported by research and participant observation, together with local partners, a working dossier will be
created with intervention proposals based on the thematic axes of inclusion, housing and heritage.
The student will perform tasks and develop skills in the following areas: 1) Selection, Reading, and Discussion of Texts from bibliographic research; 2) Application of Research Methods from various disciplinary areas towards project objectives; 3) Interdisciplinary Group Work aimed at completing predefined tasks; 4) Organization and Analysis of Data; 5) Basic Principles of working with communities.
The course has a theoretical and practical approach, in which students carry out fieldwork as part of a project, in order to assimilate the theoretical concepts explained in class and contribute to the development of research on the subject. By accompanying the researchers involved in the project, students are encouraged to gain autonomy in their research and writing, integrating the team in tasks such as identifying and processing sources (including historical sources, bibliography and oral history), contacting local partners, organising and systematising data, among others. The students are integrated into the “Miradas sobre la Ciudad” project, which began in Madrid in 2023, and test methodologies and develop new approaches to be applied in Lisbon.
Participation in this project is therefore considered to be a good opportunity to improve the students’ practical training, particularly in proximity and collaborative work with communities.