Lisbona. Città sul Mar da Palha

Study on Lisbona city is part of a research work based on the thesis that urban structure heart is mainly made up of relation spaces and exchange places are some of the most significative elements of urban structure. References to mediterranean context where this thesis is verified, demonstrate also that project tensions referred to the majority of mediterranean cities are directed to port spaces and commercial quarters that are located, in historical continuity, rarely modified by the time, in the more central parts of the city. The research, therefore, goes into more depth the particular rank of relation spaces devoted to commerce, also through the historical events that have turned them into the physical structures and into significance. Case study cities belong to three macro-cultural areas, characterized by their own specificities. Lisbona verifyies all the starting assumptions especially in its central areas; Baixa Pompalina is the result of an Enlightenment project whose objective was the area’s commercial occupation. The effects of this project are nowadays recognizable, making commerce an integral part of patrimonial component on this particular area. The essay investigates historical and contemporary characters of this city, owning a particularly rich history and a quality public spaces tradition, affecting policies and more recent urban projects operative choices.