At the threshold of the 21st century the ‘urban resurgence’ debate is gaining visibility. Despite the diversity of perspectives, those who research this issue share one common idea: the recovering trajectory of the city after an extended period of loss and decay. In this paper, I will discuss, in an exploratory but critical approach, some current urban trends that affect Lisbon, in particular its inner city. At least, two main trends seem to occur in parallel: 1º a slow, ‘discrete’, more ‘spontaneous’ and long-term structural process of demographic recovering somehow related with the ‘theories of re-urbanization’ (arrival of new middle-classes and immigrants), which in some cases might produce gentrified contexts - this may have started in the first decade of the 21st century and is achieving a greater dynamism nowadays; 2º a recent, highly visible, spatial and temporal ‘concentrated’ process of change that has ‘exploded’ during the ‘Troika’ assistance program. It is a process of radical change of few historical districts, partially induced by (local) public policies, marked by two general features: i) strong real estate pressure and its growing internationalization/financialization; ii) previous activities and inhabitants displacement, functional and symbolic homogenization towards touristification and de-residentialization (short-term housing). The paper will discuss essentially this trend, focusing in some of its determining factors and main indicators. Finally, a reflection on its expected impacts will be developed - an effort to draw some questions that should frame an urgent research agenda on this on-going, highly visible, but still little understood, Lisbon urban trend.

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Lisbon, urban resurgence, real estate pressure, historical districts, touristification