The Setúbal Waterfront Polis Programme: Quantitative evaluation of the public space between 1900 and 2013

Abstract

The modern conversion of cities waterfronts must take into consideration the urban design of the city, through a holistic vision of the territory. In the conversion process the public space is the fundamental element capable of integrating the “new city” with the existing urban fabric. An analysis of the public space of the Setúbal waterfront over the years is presented in this paper, with particular focus on the years following the execution of the Polis Programme. A quantitative approach was undertaken and the public spaces data was treated mathematically. This paper shows how the Polis programme contributed towards the increase of public space of the Setúbal waterfront and contributed for the conversion of those spaces according to the best European practices for the conversion of waterfronts. With the construction of new public spaces and the conversion of existing public spaces, the Polis programme contributed to a greater connection of the city of Setúbal with the river Sado and concretized a vision of integration of the waterfront that was present in the 1931 plan.