O social, o espacial e o político na pobreza e na exclusão: avaliação de iniciativas de regeneração de áreas urbanas em risco na cidade do Porto

This dissertation aims at contributing to the debate on dialectic relationships that are established among ‘Territory’, ‘Poverty and Social Exclusion’ and ‘Political’, by evaluating regeneration initiatives focused on urban deprived areas in the city of Porto.
After an approach to ‘the spatial and political dimension’ of poverty and social exclusion, we engage on the main types of ‘at risk’ urban areas, as well as on the urban regeneration initiatives that have been deployed to reverse the main factors responsible for decay in these areas.
The empirical part of this investigation is based on the assessment of the urban regeneration initiatives that have been applied in two ‘at risk’ Oporto city areas (Morro da Sé and Bairro de S. João de Deus). This assessment was made through two analytical dimensions (‘Governance and Institutional capacities’ and ‘Social Capital’). This approach allowed us to highlight the role of political options at the level of 'initiatives deployment' and 'achieved results'.
On one hand, it was clear that while the formal creation of new governance frameworks may be considered essential in order to put more innovative and cooperative approaches in place, the success of these partnerships requires a strong commitment and political support. On the other hand, the importance of the regulation of ground usage at an urban planning level became apparent, both at the deployment of the miscegenation principle level, and at the level of a more sustainable planning while providing housing projects and collective equipments.