Places
Paulo Ricca, VISAO, Visual Hunt
Open Visits
Tours
Sat 12h, Screening of the movie "A Nossa Terra, o Nosso Altar", by André Guiomar + 14h Sociologist João Queirós + 15h, 16h30, Archs. Manuel Correia Fernandes and Vítor Alves
Caleidoscópio
Themes
Maximum 25 people per visit
No reservation required; first-come, first-served
Photography allowed
Description
The Aleixo neighbourhood was built in the 1970s with the aim of temporarily rehousing the urban population of Ribeira-Barredo. Initially, Aleixo was acclaimed and publicised as a unique and innovative experiment in the city of Porto: for its high-rise construction, its location overlooking the river, and the proposed facilities to support the blocks (although some were never built). The design and layout of the development complied with the 1962 Master Plan, which the French urban planner Robert Auzelle, at the invitation of Porto City Council, had drawn up for what was then the city’s outskirts. Today, we see history repeating itself. Over the years, the neighbourhood gradually began to be ‘demonised’, defamed, stigmatised and demoralised for the reasons we all know, to the point where demolition came to be seen as ‘the’ panacea and, consequently, gained strong public support. Adapted from Ana Lima, ‘Aleixo: o Ínicio do Fim’, Revista Punkto Seven years after the final demolition work on the towers, the site of the former Aleixo neighbourhood remains in a state of limbo, weighed down by a profound sense of loss. Francisco Ascensão and Maria Souto de Moura, OHP’26 curators
Location
Rua de Âncora, 41
Directions: Google Maps / Apple Maps
Public Transport
Bus: STCP 207, 504, 500