In January 2019, the Institute for Public and Social Policies of the University Institute of Lisbon (ISCTE-IUL) organized with the support of AKTC Education a Winter School entitled “The Place of the City”. This training workshop, in which 27 participants and 33 speakers from Brazil, Italy and Portugal took part, examined the predicament of the Bairro da Mouraria, one of the oldest neighborhoods of Lisbon, which is currently an ethnically plural space (home to a large Muslim immigrant population) but one that is increasingly subjected to the strong threat of gentrification due to pressures from the tourism and real estate industries. Improving public policy skills that can benefit communities living in such historic centres where urban rehabilitation is being undertaken and the threat of gentrification looms was a key focus of the programme. Using inter alia the approach and methodology of the Aga Khan Historic Cities Programme, the Winter School brought the insights of architecture and urban conservation to bear on the challenges of planning, executing and evaluating concrete measures to increase the quality of life of the communities concerned. Theory and reflection were combined with the analysis of urban development models that foster cultural diversity and social cohesion of residents. The intensive two-week programme consisted of master classes and in in situ workshops involving fieldwork and community interactions; it concluded with an exhibition and public presentation. The Santa Maria Parish, where Bairro da Mouraria is located, was a partner as well as the Lisbon City Council, while the Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Lisboa provided 10 grants for participants.

ISCTE-IUL, IPPS-IUL e Aga Khan Trust for Culture, Junta de Freguesia de Santa Maria Maior e Santa Casa da Misericórdia