INTERPRETATIONS AND USES OF THE BEAUTY OF ABANDONMENT IN URBAN ARCHITECTURE:

A CRITICAL ANALYSIS IN THE CASE OF OPORTO

Abstract

By way of an essay, we propose to analyse the city of Porto through the application of a neologism related to urban architecture: the beauty of abandonment. This concept refers to the use of aesthetic decay as a tool to highlight public space and create an evocative urban landscape. However, the tourist attraction generated by this aesthetic poses challenges in cities such as Porto, as the valorisation of abandoned infrastructures attracts tourist and commercial investments, which paradoxically leads to their rehabilitation. The phenomenon of the beauty of abandonment has different interpretations and uses in different cities. Some use it as a resource to enhance public space and give value to the urban context, while others see it as part of a public policy of detachment. In the case of Porto, visual collapse is part of everyday life and becomes a tourist attraction, but the city is also undergoing a process of recovering some of the beauty of abandonment. This involves the activation of its economic value and real estate speculation. However, this process of recovery and valorisation entails the gentrification of the city and affects both the most connected areas and Porto as a whole.