The right to the City

The struggle for survival of Cova da Moura

Authors

  • Danny Wildemeersch University of Leuven
  • Joana Pestana Lages University of Lisbon

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3384/rela.2000-7426.ojs205

Keywords:

Dissensus, learning communities, participatory planning, relational space, the right to the city

Abstract

The case discusses the ongoing debate in the Greater Lisbon Area concerning the recognition of settlements that have been established during the previous decades by immigrants, mainly from former Portuguese colonies, in Lisbon and its surroundings. The case of Cova da Moura, one of these illegal settlements has a central place in the article. In that neighbourhood, a participatory experiment was put up, aimed at rearranging an open space for common use by the inhabitants. The result of the initiative was not as positive as expected. In this paper, the question whether the experiment was a failure or not, takes a central place. While looking for an answer, different theories are used as lenses for interpretation: the ‘right to the city’ discourse, the understanding of dissent and the framing of policy initiatives as learning processes.

Metrics

Metrics Loading ...

Author Biography

Danny Wildemeersch, University of Leuven

professor emeritus Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences

KU Leuven - Belgium

References

Ascensão, E. (2013). Following engineers and architects through slums: The technoscience of slum intervention in the Portuguese-speaking landscape. Análise Social, 260(xviii), 2182-2999.

Ascensão, E. (2016). Interfaces of Informality. City, 20(4), 563-580. https://doi.org/10.1080/13604813.2016.1193337

Bonetti, M. & Villa, M. (2014). In the shadow of legalism: Understanding community participation in an overly bureaucratic context. Critical Policy Studies, 8(4), 447-464. https://doi.org/10.1080/19460171.2014.950305

Carolino, J. (in preparation). O associativismo num bairro com história. In I. Raposo & J.Carolino (Eds.), Cova da Moura, que desígnio, que desenho.

Evans, R., Kurantowitz, E. & Lucio-Villegas, E. (Eds.). (2015). Researching and transforming adult learning and communities. The local/global context. Rotterdam: Senge.

Harvey, D. (2001). Spaces of hope. Retrieved December 12, 2016, from https://www.scribd.com/doc/209477592/Harvey-David-Spaces-of-Hope-pdf.

Harvey, D. (2008). The right to the city. New left review, 53, 23–40.

Lefebvre, H. (1968). Le droit à la ville. Paris: Anthropos.

Lages, J. (s.d.). A pesquisa também desenha (Research by design). Estudoprévio. Retrieved February 9, 2017, from http://www.estudoprevio.net/artigos/42/joana-pestana-.-a-pesquisa-tambem-desenha.

Lages, J., Veiga, I. & Braga, J. (2014, April) This square could be like this: (Re)thinking participation from the workshops at Largo de Santa Filomena. Presentation at the Seminário Espaço Relacional e Direito à Cidade: Pesquisa Experimental no Bairro da Cova da Moura.

Lages, J., Wildemeersch, D., Carolino, J., Braga, J. & Veiga, I. (2017). Sobre o dissenso. Considerando o laboratorio ‘este largo podía ser assim’, no bairro da Cova da Moura.

Leontidou, L. (2010). Urban social movements in ‘weak’ civil societies. The right to the city and cosmopolitan activism in Southern Europe. Urban studies, 47(6),1149-1203. https://doi.org/10.1177/0042098009360239

Longworth, N. & Osborne, M. (2010). Six ages towards a learning region: A retrospective. European journal of education. 45(3), 368-401. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1465-3435.2010.01436.x

Miguel, A.F. & Sardo, S. (2013). Classifying heritage by (re)classifying identities. The inclusion of Kola San Jon in the Portuguese list of intangible heritage. Universidade de Aveiro: RD Research Day.

Mouffe, C. (2005). On the political. thinking in action. London: Routledge.

Plumb, D., Leverman, A. & McGray, R. (2007). The learning city in a planet of slums. Studies in continuing education. 29(1), 37-50. https://doi.org/10.1080/01580370601146296

Rancière, J. (2005). Hatred of democracy. London: Verso.

Rancière, J. (2010). Dissensus: On politics and aesthetics. London: Continuum.

Raposo, I. (2008, July). Intervenção pública num bairro “crítico”, o Alto da Cova da Moura (Public Intervention in a “critical” neighbourhood, the Alto da Cova da Moura). Presentation at: VI Seminario internacional de arquitectura e cosmologia, Do Retorno da Diáspora às Arquitecturas em Equilíbrio, Investigação em Arquitectura, Urbanismo e Design, July 24.

Relational space research proposal (2012). Projectos de investegaçao cientifica. FCT – Fundaçao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia.

Silver, H., Scott, A. & Kazepov, Y. (2010). Participation in urban contention and deliberation. International journal of urban and regional research, 34(3),453-477.https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2427.2010.00963.x

Unger, R. (2002a). The transformation of society. First Boutwood lecture at the Corpus Christi College, Cambridge University. Retrieved December 14, 2016, from http://robertounger.com/english/docs/corpus1.pdf

Unger, R. (2002b). The Transformation of Experience. Second Boutwood Lecture at the Corpus Christi College, Cambridge University, UK. Retrieved 14th of December 2016 from: http://robertounger.com/english/docs/corpus2.pdf

Valente, Ana (2015). Monitoring and evaluation of urban regeneration processes. The case of Cova da Moura. Retrieved November 30, 2016, from http://www.irbnet.de/daten/iconda/CIB_DC26470.pdf

Vandenabeele, J., Reyskens, P. & Wildemeersch, D. (2011). Diverse views on citizenship, community and participation. Exploring the role of adult education research and practice. European journal for research on the education and learning of adults, 2(2), 193-208. https://doi.org/10.3384/rela.2000-7426.rela0017

van der Veen, R., Wildemeersch, D., Youngblood, J. & Marsick, V. (Eds.). Democratic practices as learning opportunities. Rotterdam: Sense.

Downloads

Published

2018-10-19

How to Cite

Wildemeersch, D., & Pestana Lages, J. (2018). The right to the City: The struggle for survival of Cova da Moura. European Journal for Research on the Education and Learning of Adults, 9(2), 193–210. https://doi.org/10.3384/rela.2000-7426.ojs205