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The market square as an open space in historic city was crucial throughout the ages for the socio-economic development of towns. After political transformation in Poland in 1989 town squares lost their market function. Currently can be observed investments in enhancement of the representational function and green spaces. At the same time, local governments in some cities favour cars and road transport even in little squares (at the expense of quiet rest). The aim of the article is to characterize the space of the town square in Szadek, including a morphological analysis and functional approach. Plac rynku jako centralna, ogólnodostępna przestrzeń wymiany handlowej historycznie pełniła kluczową rolę w rozwoju społeczno-gospodarczym miasta. Obecnie, po transformacji ustrojowej, rynki tracą funkcje targowe i kreowane są jako przestrzenie reprezentacyjne oraz tereny rekreacji. Jednocześnie, w części miast badacze obserwują silną presję w faworyzowaniu transportu samochodowego, który z jednej strony pozwala na komfortowe dostanie się do centrum i obsługę ludności, z drugiej zaś stanowi przeszkodę dla realizacji wypoczynku. Celem artykułu jest charakterystyka placu rynkowego w Szadku pod względem morfologicznym oraz sposobu jego użytkowania.

From the very beginning of the socio-economic transformation in Poland, rapid development of outdoor media advertisement was observed, especially in the cities. Lack of effective legal regulations and low awareness of the importance of creating aesthetic public spaces has resulted in too many advertisements in inappropriate places. Moreover, new legal instruments are not being used in the best possible way. The goal of the article is identification of the forms and characterization of outdoor advertising in the town square in Uniejów in the context of spatial order standards. Od początku transformacji ustrojowej obserwowano rozwój branży reklamy zewnętrznej w miastach. Brak skutecznych regulacji prawnych oraz niska świadomość społeczna zagadnień estetyki przestrzeni publicznych, doprowadziła do wytworzenia chaosu reklamowego, a nowe narzędzia oddziaływania na sektor reklamy nie zawsze są skutecznie wykorzystywane. Celem artykułu jest identyfikacja form i charakterystyka reklamy zewnętrznej występującej w przestrzeni publicznej rynku Uniejowa, w kontekście wymagań zachowania ładu przestrzennego.

Mitt projekt bemöter ett småstadstorg där flera av förutsättningarna byggts bort eller med tiden inte underhållits, och där platsen och de gamla butikerna samtidigt har svårt att hitta en ny roll i ett allt mer urbaniserat land. Torgets kvaliteter finns i olika skalor och dimensioner, därför har jag valt att hantera projektet på tre nivåer: stad, torg och byggnad. Platsen är det sk. Skvallertorget i Kisa, Östergötland, med omgivande befintliga hus och butiker från tiden 1890-1910, varav många idag är delvis stängda eller med eftersatt underhåll. Utgångspunkten är att återuppväcka den gamla torg-platsen och byggnaderna som ramar in det. Projektet handlar om att genom hänsynsfulla förändringar och tillägg kunna väcka de kvaliteter som glömts bort, och skapa nya i samma spår genom restaurering och referenser i den egna staden. Jag vill också med detta projekt väcka frågor kring omsorg, kvalitet och identitet och hur detta finns med i vår hantering av befintliga och nya byggnader. My project deals with a small town square where many of the qualities and requirements have been deconstructed or not maintained over time, and where the square and the old stores have trouble finding its place in an increasingly urbanized country. The qualities of a town square are found in different scales and dimensions, and I have therefore decided to approach the project on three levels: town, square and building. The site is the so called Skvallertorget in Kisa, Östergötland, with its surrounding existing houses and stores from the time 1890-1910, out of which many are now partly closed and neglected. To revitalize the old town square and the buildings surrounding it was my starting point, and the project is about awakening the forgotten qualities with careful alterations and additions, and to create new in the same style through restoration and references in the town. With this project I also want to ask questions about care, quality and identity and how this is part of our way of dealing with existing and new environments and buildings.

The aim of the study is to assess the public space of market squares in small towns of the Lodz Voivodeship diversity in the field of spatial development and the function of buildings around the town square. The goal and scope of the research is primarily dictated by small numer of similar studies in the literature on the subject. Recalling the genetic context of the elements of the urban structure is to constitute a starting point for reflection on contemporary differences in the spatial development and functions of buildings around the town square. In the paper were used methods from landscape research, city morphology and functionalism (functional structure). The most important data sources were urban inventories and historical maps from the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century. The level of market square opening was assessed as well as the existing structure of the residential and service function according to gross floor area. In this respect, large variations were noted in the group of researched town squares. In some of the cities studied, the small number of buildings around the town square is still affected by the destruction of World War II. In the majority of the cities studied, services are the dominant function in buildings around the town square. The exception is the economically weakest Krośniewice, where the residential function dominate. The influence of historical factors, as well as the demographic and economic potential of cities, is noticeable on the contemporary condition of buildings around market square and its functions. Celem badania jest ocena przestrzeni publicznych rynków w małych miastach województwa łódzkiego pod względem zróżnicowania w zakresie współczesnego zagospodarowania i funkcji zabudowy przyrynkowej. Tak postawiony cel i zakres badania podyktowany jest przede wszystkim niewielką liczbą tego rodzaju opracowań w literaturze przedmiotu. Przywołanie kontekstu genetycznego elementów struktury urbanistycznej stanowić ma w tym wypadku punkt wyjścia dla rozważań nad współczesnymi różnicami w zagospodarowaniu i funkcjach zabudowy przyrynkowej. W pracy posłużono się metodami z zakresu badań krajobrazowych, morfologii miasta oraz funkcjonalizmu (struktury funkcjonalnej). Najważniejszymi źródłami danych były inwentaryzacje urbanistyczne oraz mapy historyczne z XIX wieku i pierwszej połowy XX wieku. Oceniono poziom otwarcia rynków oraz istniejącą strukturę funkcji mieszkaniowej i usługowej według powierzchni całkowitej kondygnacji. Odnotowano w tym zakresie duże zróżnicowania w grupie badanych rynków. W niektórych spośród badanych miast na niski poziom obudowania placu rynkowego wpływ mają wciąż zniszczenia II wojny światowej. W większości badanych miast funkcją dominującą w zabudowie przyrynkowej są usługi. Wyjątek stanowią najsłabsze ekonomicznie Krośniewice, gdzie przy rynku dominuje funkcja mieszkaniowa. Na współczesny stan zabudowy i jej funkcji przyrynkowych zauważalny jest wpływ uwarunkowań historycznych, a także potencjału demograficznego oraz ekonomicznego miast.

Submitted by Wallace Arruda (wallacearruda@uepb.edu.br) on 2019-11-04T16:23:51Z No. of bitstreams: 1 DISS - Max Wesley Florentino da Silva.pdf: 11967324 bytes, checksum: 82fd681b9d5be86bfb84b01b189f07a4 (MD5) Approved for entry into archive by Gesiele Farias (gesielefarias@uepb.edu.br) on 2019-11-05T23:03:00Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 DISS - Max Wesley Florentino da Silva.pdf: 11967324 bytes, checksum: 82fd681b9d5be86bfb84b01b189f07a4 (MD5) Made available in DSpace on 2019-11-05T23:03:00Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 DISS - Max Wesley Florentino da Silva.pdf: 11967324 bytes, checksum: 82fd681b9d5be86bfb84b01b189f07a4 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2018-11-23 CAPES The town square is an important urban space where social, cultural, religious, political and economic exchanges are carried out by the population. This fact requires attention of the public policies in the urban space field when it comes to its conceptual and architectural conception, so that interactions are possible in a more appropriate way. Thus, this research aims to analyze, the dynamics of four revitalized squares in the city of Campina Grande-PB, which are: Treze de Maio square, Cascudo square, Francisco Pinto square and Bandeira square. This research is based on the following question: do the revitalization of the squares of Campina Grande present conditions that meet the needs of the population, especially in the contemporary forms of use of these spaces? The relevance of this research lies in thinking about the relationships of these spaces with the users' interface, local merchants and managers, based on implanted revitalizations, being important the integration factor in the process of appropriation by the citizens of the public urban spaces in the cities. Among the methodological instruments used, there was the field research with direct observation, as well as the accomplishment of semi- structured interviews with the users of the squares, merchants, residents of the immediate environment and the public managers, like the city Mayor, public managers and architects who directly worked on those renovations. Photo images were also used as resource to spot relevant urban dynamics, space modifications and also some resilient features on the use and appropriation of those areas. To achieve this goal, it was necessary to identify the dynamics of use, appropriations and territorializations of the squares and their environments, as well as characterize users after revitalization. The perception of local population, merchants, managers and technicians were also analyzed, regarding the revitalization of the squares. This is a qualitative research and as a result, it was identified that the revitalizations of squares in peripheral neighborhoods allowed the return of various types of activities related to leisure, commerce and sports practice. This has brought new users and contemporary elements of renovation, such as seat coverings, floor coverings, gardening and the new lighting system in Bandeira square, that corroborate with the dynamics of existing uses in the square. It was also noticed that at night, after the installation of the new lighting system, the territorializations and types of uses of Bandeira square increased. A praça é um importante espaço urbano onde as trocas sociais, culturais, religiosas, políticas e econômicas são realizadas pela população. Este fato requer atenção das políticas públicas no quesito espaço urbano, em sua concepção conceitual e arquitetônica, para que sejam possíveis interações de forma mais apropriada. Assim, esta pesquisa tem como objetivo analisar, as dinâmicas de usos de quatro praças revitalizadas na cidade de Campina Grande-PB, que são: Praça Treze de Maio, Praça do Cascudo, Praça Francisco Pinto e Praça da Bandeira A problemática se baseia na seguinte indagação: a revitalização das praças de Campina Grande apresenta condições que atendam às necessidades da população, em especial no quesito das formas contemporâneas de usos desses espaços? A relevância desta pesquisa, reside em se pensar as relações desses espaços com a interface dos usuários, comerciantes locais e gestores, a partir das revitalizações implantadas, sendo importante o fator de integração no processo de apropriação pelos citadinos dos espaços urbanos públicos nas cidades. Dentre os instrumentos metodológicos utilizados, tivemos a pesquisa de campo com observação direta, assim como a realização de entrevistas semiestruturadas realizadas com os usuários das praças, os comerciantes, moradores do entorno imediato e o atores da gestão pública - Prefeito, Secretário de Planejamento, Arquiteto, Administradores das Praças – que tiveram participação direta relacionada à revitalização. Outro recurso que utilizamos foi o uso de imagens fotográficas, de forma que possibilitasse identificar significativas mudanças ou permanências das dinâmicas de uso e territorializações das praças revitalizadas. Para atingir esta finalidade, procuramos identificar as dinâmicas de uso, apropriações e territorializações das praças e seus entornos, bem como caracterizar os usuários após a revitalização. Buscamos também analisar a percepção dos atores locais - população, comerciantes, gestores e técnicos – no tocante à revitalização das praças. Esta pesquisa se caracteriza pela abordagem qualitativa dos dados. Como resultado, identificamos que estas revitalizações de praças em bairros periféricos possibilitou a retomada de vários tipos de atividades relacionadas ao lazer, ao comércio e à prática de atividades esportivas. Isto trouxe novos usuários e elementos contemporâneos de reforma, como no caso da Praça da Bandeira – revestimentos dos bancos, piso, jardineiras e o novo sistema de iluminação – que corroboram com as dinâmicas de usos existentes na praça. Constatamos, também, que no período noturno, após a instalação do novo sistema de iluminação, as territorializações e tipos de usos da Praça da Bandeira aumentaram.

Lietuvos istorinių miestelių raidoje įamžintas mūsų tautos kultūrinis ir socialinis identitetas. Svarbiausia Lietuvos istorinių miestelių struktūros dalis, kurioje pasireiškia ryškiausios architektūrinės ir urbanistinės raidos ypatybės, tai miestelio centrinė dalis – centrinė aikštė ir ją ribojantys statiniai. Be abejo centrinė miestelio aikštė ir aplinkinis statybinis palikimas – tai kultūros paveldo objektai, kuriuos svarbu išsaugoti ateities kartoms. Tačiau atsiranda laikotarpių, kurių naujoviškos idėjos kėsinasi į urbanistinio ir architektūrinio kultūros paveldo išlikimą istorinių miestelių centrinėse dalyse. Ypač stiprus poveikis pasireiškė po XX a. antroje pusėje įvykusių pokyčių Lietuvai tapus Sovietų sąjungos dalimi. Šiuo laikotarpiu buvo stipriai paveiktas Lietuvos istorinių miestelių centrinių aikščių architektūrinis ir urbanistinis kultūros paveldas: buvo nugriauti tradiciniai statiniai, naujos tūrinės formos iškraipė tradicinę tūrinę kompoziciją, naujų medžiagų atsiradimas fasaduose pakeitė centrinės aikštės statinių spalvinį koloritą, dauguma prekybos aikščių tapo skveru, pasikeitė aikštės funkcinis zonavimas. Todėl yra svarbu nustatyti gaires, kuriomis remiantis būtų numatoma sutvarkyti sovietmečiu paveiktų miestelių centrinių aikščių ir aplinkinio užstatymo architektūrinę ir urbanistinę struktūrą taip, kad būtų puoselėjamos tradicijos ir išsaugoma kuo daugiau architektūrinio ir urbanistinio paveldo, tačiau tuo pačiu modernizuojant aikščių architektūrines ir urbanistinę struktūrą taip, kad ji tenkintų šiuolaikinio žmogaus poreikius. Šiuo darbu tiriamos Lietuvos istorinių miestelių centrinės aikštės, kurių urbanistinė struktūra yra paveldo objektas. Darbo tikslas - sudaryti Lietuvos istorinių miestelių centrinių aikščių urbanistinių struktūrų ir architektūros objektų tvarkymo modelį, kuriuo remiantis būtų užtikrintas architektūrinio ir urbanistinio paveldo išsaugojimas stipriai sovietinės architektūros paveiktose centrinėse aikštėse. Taip pat remiantis sudarytų modeliu diegiant naujas architektūrines idėjas centrinėje aikštėje būtų minimaliai paveikiamas šios miestelio dalies architektūrinis ir urbanistinis paveldas. Remiantis literatūros analize ir ištyrus keturių istorinių Lietuvos miestelių centrinių aikščių architektūrinės ir urbanistinės struktūros ypatumus nustatyti pagrindiniai tradiciniai aikštėse vyravę architektūriniai ir urbanistiniai bruožai laikotarpyje iki XX a. antros pusės. Taip pat nustatyti laikotarpiu nuo XX a. antros pusės naujai atsiradę ir transformavę centrines aikštes architektūriniai ir urbanistiniai bruožai. Remiantis šiais bruožais sudarytas eksperimentinis projektas (Butrimonių centrinės aikštės architektūrinio ir urbanistinio paveldo tvarkymo projektas), kurio sprendiniais sprendžiamos architektūrinio ir urbanistinio paveldo išsaugojimo problemos stipriai sovietinės architektūros paveiktoje centrinėje aikštėje, kartu integruojant šiuolaikines architektūrines idėjas minimaliai paveikiant šios miestelio dalies architektūrinį ir urbanistinį paveldą. Įgyvendinus eksperimentinio projekto sprendinius nustatyta, kad Butrimonių miestelio centrinės aikštės urbanistinė struktūra tapo sudėtingesnė: padidėjo užstatymo tankumas, erdvinių ir funkcinių zonų sistema, tokiu būdu miestelio aikštės erdvė tapo išraiškingesnė, įdomesnė ir patrauklesnė, o saugotinos vertingosios savybės išliko nepakeistos. Taip pat Butrimonių miestelio centrinės aikštės sovietiniai pastatai rekonstruoti taip, kad vizualiai derėtų tradiciniame centrinės aikštės architektūriniame kontekste. Galime daryti išvadą, kad tvarkant Butrimonių miestelio centrinės aikštės architektūrinę ir urbanistinę struktūrą, pasiektas teigiamas rezultatas. Remiantis literatūros analize, eksperimentinio projekto ir miestelių centrinių aikščių architektūrinės ir urbanistinės struktūros tyrimo rezultatais sudarytos istorinių miestelių centrinių aikščių tvarkymo gairės. Tikimasi, kad ateityje šias gaires bus aktualu taikyti rengiant paveldosauginį statusą turinčių miestelių centrinių aikščių tvarkymo projektus Lietuvoje., The development of the Lithuanian historical towns perpetuates the cultural and social identity of our nation. An integral part of the Lithuanian historical towns, which marks the manifestation of the salient features of architectural and urban development, is the central site of a town, i.e. the town square and the structures surrounding it. Undoubtedly, the central town square and the surrounding structural heritage constitute the objects of cultural heritage whose preservation for future generations is significant. However, the innovative ideas of some periods attempt at invading the survival of urban and cultural heritage situated in the central sites of historical towns. A strong influence on the cultural heritage objects was noticed after the changes in the second half of the 20th century when Lithuania was absorbed into the Soviet Union. This period brought drastic changes in the architectural and urban cultural heritage of the historic town squares: traditional structures were demolished, new volumetric forms distorted traditional volumetric composition, the use of new materials in the facade changed the colouring of town square structures, the majority of central market places were turned into squares and the functional zoning of the squares was changed. Therefore, it is important to establish the guidelines that can serve as a basis of reconstructing the architectural and urban structure of town squares and surrounding structures influenced by the Soviet period that would allow carrying out traditions and preserving architectural and urban heritage to the highest possible extent and simultaneously modernising the architectural and urban structure of town squares to satisfy the needs of a modern man. This thesis analyses the Lithuanian historical town squares whose urban structure is an object of heritage. The aim of this thesis is to conclude a model for the management of Lithuanian historical town squares and architectural structures that would ensure the preservation of architectural and urban heritage in the town squares severely influenced by the soviet architecture. Furthermore, when implementing new architectural ideas based on the concluded model, the architectural and urban heritage of such town sites would undergo minimal influence. Based on the literary analysis and taking into consideration the exception of the peculiarities of architectural and urban structure of four Lithuanian town squares, the main traditional urban architectural features that prevailed up until the second half of the 20th century were determined. The new architectural and urban features that transformed town squares after the second half of the 20th century were identified as well. Based on the above-mentioned features an experimental project has been concluded (the project of the reconstruction of architectural and urban heritage of Butrimonys town square), which provides solutions to the problems of architectural and urban heritage preservation in the town square severely influenced by the Soviet architecture and simultaneously integrates modern architectural ideas which exercise minimal influence on the architectural and urban heritage of this town site. Having implemented the solutions provided by this experimental project it was determined that the urban structure of Butrimonys town square became more complex: the density of structures as well as the system of functional and spatial zones increased, therefore, the town square became more attractive, interesting and vivid, while the preserved valuable qualities remained unchanged. Furthermore, the Soviet buildings situated in Butrimonys town square were reconstructed to visually match the traditional architectural context of the town square. A conclusion can be reached that when reconstructing the architectural and urban structure of Butrimonys town square, a positive result was reached. Based on the literary analysis and the results of the experimental project and the analysis on the architectural and urban structure of town squares, the guidelines of historical town square management has been concluded. It is expected that in the future these guidelines will be applied when drawing the maintenance plans of heritage town squares in Lithuania.

Lietuvos teisės aktuose ir profesinėje literatūroje nėra aiškių kriterijų ir sąvokų aikštei apibrėžti. Aikštėmis dažnai vadinamos neužstatytos miesto erdvės vietos, neturinčios aiškių ribų ir paskirties, arba atviri tarpai tarp pastatų. Straipsnyje nustatomi privalomieji vietos, vadinamos aikšte, atributai, apibrėžiama aikštės sąvoka. Straipsnyje nagrinėjamos reprezentacinėmis vadinamų aikščių savybės, reprezentacijos ir reprezentatyvumo skirtumai. Siekiama atskleisti miesto aplinkos konteksto ir monumento aikštėje įtaką jos paskirčiai (funkcijai). Aikštė, nors yra savarankiškas miesto planinės struktūros elementas, nėra savarankiškas miesto erdvinės struktūros elementas. Tiek aikštės erdvė, tiek aplinka, kurioje aikštė suformuota, yra tarpusavyje susietos ne tik fiziniais, estetiniais, bet ir priežastiniais ryšiais, kurie gali būti įvardinami kaip aikščių formavimo esmės. Straipsnyje taikomas tarpdalykinio diskurso analizės metodas. In the Lithuanian acts of law and in the scientific literature there are no clear criteria and notions to define a square. The unbuilt city space places or the gaps between buildings are often defined as the squares, which do not have clear limits or destination. The mandatory attributes of the place which is called the square are indicated in the article, the notion of square is defined. The article deals with Lithuanian squares theme, analyses the differences between representation and representativeness. The article aims to indicate an influence of city environmental context and monument in the square on its function. The square is an independent element of city plan structure, but it is not an independent element of city spatial structure. The space and environment of the square are related to each other not only by physical, aesthetical relations, but as well as by causalities, which may be named as the essences of squares’ formation. The interdisciplinary discourse analysis method is applied in the article.

Tese de doutoramento em Arquitectura, no ramo de Teoria e História da Arquitectura, apresentada à Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia da Universidade de Coimbra As praças do Sul de Portugal eram, em 1532, diversas na sua formação, como diversas eram as realidades urbanas, sociais e culturais das vilas e cidades em que se situavam. Entre aquelas, havia praças novas dentro de grandes cidades, praças novas em arrabaldes, praças medievais intra-muros, e praças encostadas a muralhas. A existência destes diferentes casos não pode ser explicada pelas reformas jurídicas e pelo processo de centralização administrativa normalmente associados ao início da idade moderna e, sobretudo, ao reinado de D. Manuel. De igual forma, a influência das teorias renascentistas e dos tratados de arquitectura estava longe de se poder fazer sentir mesmo na primeira metade do século XVI. Para além disso, muitos destes espaços mostram continuidades com práticas urbanas anteriores, designadamente do fim da idade média. E, no entanto, em pleno século XVI, é o termo “praça” que é aceite e proposto para designar esses mesmos espaços. É a partir destas constatações que surge a questão a partir da qual este trabalho se organiza: O que era, na cultura do tempo, uma praça, e o que é que podia ser entendido como tal? Tal análise implica um primeiro nível de reconstituição, de forma a identificar o lugar e situação de cada uma dessas praças, e caracterizar a sua realidade material: forma, espaço e edifícios. Depois, assume-se como pressuposto que a realidade cultural em Portugal não era um 1 contexto genericamente caracterizável. Para além da clara diferença entre o Norte e o Sul do país que as fontes confirmam, uma análise próxima de cada uma das vilas revela que também entre elas existiam grandes diferenças. Acresce que a formação das diversas praças ocorreu não só em tempos distintos, como em circunstâncias também muito variáveis – umas terão sido simples e lentas apropriações de espaços livres já existentes, outras rápidas operações de abertura e construção de um espaço. Não é pois um “contexto nacional” monolítico que explica ou ajuda a situar a formação das praças, mas sim múltiplos contextos. Neste âmbito, é o inventário das diferenças que, a um segundo nível, permite caracterizar de forma o mais precisa possível as circunstâncias que acompanharam a formação das praças: a cronologia, os agentes, as hesitações, os “imprevistos”. A partir desse, procura-se demonstrar que quer a forma quer o processo de formação das praças resulta de uma interacção de agentes e poderes em que os intervenientes locais têm uma importância decisiva, a qual não pode ser confundida com uma cultura dominante forjada por determinações da corte nem com uma influência artístico-científica originada na Península Itálica ou pela expansão portuguesa. Este reconhecimento conduz à recolha de indícios e sinais de uma actuação que precede a intervenção da cultura de elite. A cultura urbana – não erudita, local e quotidiana – tem obviamente raízes num universo mais alargado, no mundo medieval, na cultura europeia. Estas ligações a outros tempos e locais verificase sobretudo por se tratarem de procedimentos relativamente elementares de acção sobre o território e sobre a cidade. É neste quadro de partilha de conhecimentos comuns que tinham lugar as transformações urbanas. Não se tratavam de processos exclusivos de acção sobre as cidades, a forma destas sendo o resultado do processo de interacção entre níveis diversos e conflituais de cultura. The praças (squares) of Southern Portugal were, in 1532, diverse in their origins, as diverse were the urban, social and cultural realities of the towns and cities in which they were found. Amongst them, there were new praças within large cities, new praças on the outskirts of towns or cities, medieval praças within walled precincts, and praças next to city walls. The existence of these different forms cannot be explained in terms of legal reforms or the process of administrative centralization usually associated with the beginning of the early modern period and, in particular, with the reign of King Manuel I. Similarly, the influence of Renaissance theories and architectural treatises hardly made itself felt, even in the first half of the Sixteenth Century. Furthermore, many of these spaces display continuities with previous – particularly late medieval – urban practices. Nevertheless, the term which during the Sixteenth Century was proposed and accepted to designate these spaces was praça. These considerations underlie the problem round which this thesis will be organized. What was, in the culture of that period, a praça, and what could be understood as such? Such an analysis implies a first level of reconstitution, which consists in identifying the location and situation of each one of these praças, and describing it in material terms – form, space and buildings. Further, the thesis assumes that there was 3 no single cultural reality in Portugal which can be taken as a generic context. Over and above the clear difference between the North and South of the country, confirmed by the sources, a closer analysis of individual towns reveals the existence of considerable differences between them. Furthermore, these different praças took shape not only at different times, but in very variable circumstances: some will simply have resulted from the gradual appropriation of existing free land, others from the rapid clearing and edification of an open space. There is thus no monolithic “national context” which might explain or help to situate the formation of the praças, but rather a multiplicity of contexts. In these terms, and at a second level of reconstruction, it is an inventory of differences that will make possible as precise a characterization as possible of the circumstances which accompanied the formation of these praças: the chronology, the agents, the hesitations, the role of the unexpected. On this basis, an attempt will be made to demonstrate that both the shape and the process itself through which the praças were formed reflect an interaction of agents and powers in which local elements are of decisive importance, and cannot be confused with a dominant culture shaped by the Court or with any scientific or artistic influences originating from Italy or from Portuguese overseas expansion. Recognition of this fact leads to an attempt to collect indices and signs of an intervention which is prior to that of elite culture. Urban culture – everyday, local, non-erudite – obviously has its roots in a much wider universe, in the medieval world, in European culture. These links to other times and places occur above all because these are relatively elementary procedures and forms of action on the land and the city. Urban transformation took place within this frame of shared common forms of knowledge. They were not forms of action exclusive to urban intervention, their shape being the result of a process of interaction between different, conflicting, levels of culture. Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia

Klaipėdos mieste vykstantys stichiški, tačiau formaliai reglamentuoti urbanistinės plėtros procesai tiesiogiai susiję su kontroversiškai vertinamu miesto centrinės dalies erdvinės struktūros pakitimu. Neigiamą poveikį miesto tapatumui lemiantys veiksniai turėtų būti suvaldyti nustatant aiškius miesto centrinės dalies plėtros principus, kuriais remiantis formuojama teritorijos vystymo koncepcija. Straipsnyje nagrinėjama Klaipėdos miesto senosios urbanistinės struktūros naujų galimybių modeliavimo problema, Atgimimo aikštės formavimo problema. Analizuojama miesto centrinės dalies urbanistinė struktūra, kompozicija, vertingosios ir miestovaizdį formuojančios savybės, aptariamos istorinį branduolį respektuojančios strateginės Klaipėdos miesto urbanistinės plėtros alternatyvos, vertinamos miesto vizualinio tapatumo stiprinimo galimybės. The urban development of Klaipėda is rather chaotic despite formally regulated processes. These processes are directly related to the controversy regarding the damage inflicted on the central part of its spatial structure. The negative effects of the determinants of urban identity should be managed by setting up clear principles of development of the city’s central part. The article analyses new possibilities of modelling the old urban structure of Klaipėda and Atgimimo Square. The main urban architectural concept is based on strengthening the city’s visual identity and developing a system of nominal urban spaces in Atgimimo Square and the areas surrounding the Old Town, which would create a protective zone. In order to express the qualitative concept, three significant spatial nodes are distinguished. An architectural proposal for these urban spaces includes open archaeological foundations, semantic water lines around the bastions and a highlighted axis of Birža Bridge–Tiltų Street. The proposal also includes a reconstruction of the Klaipėda Musical Theatre into a representational Opera House.