Jardim Principe Real: Reading of a Lisbon's Public Space

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“Jardim do Principe Real or Jardim França Borges” Reading of a Lisbon’s Public Space

Maria Kikidou FU 15: Ecosystem Management | prof: Carlos Smaniotto reCity Master Course in City Regeneration FISD Consortium | ULUSOFONA



PART 1 Description


LOCATION AND URBAN CONTEXT


Fig.1: Location of Park, www.cm-lisboa.pt, Bing maps, 2013, own elaboration

The current project deals with a public space of Lisbon and its role in the urban context. The public space is examined in terms of its contribution to improve the urban space environmentally and aesthetically and its social impact, that means the usefulness, popularity and connection of the public space with visitors and people. The urban space to be studied is Jardim do Principe Real or Jardim Franรงa Borges, named after the republican journalist. The green space is located in the historical zone of Lisbon, between Rato and the district Bairro Alto, belongs to the freguesia Merces and occupies an area of 1,16 ha. It was created in the middle of 19th century, something that is also revealed by its design, since it is highly affected by

the romantic movement developed during the 19th century. The refurbishment of the garden in 2009 preserved this character and now the garden is a livable multifunctional public space presenting historical and environmental value. From a first visit, the park seems really successful, it is most of the time full of people and hosts several activities and attractions, such as open markets and cafes. It is one of the few gardens in the centre of Lisbon along with Jardim Botanico de Universidade de Lisboa that has historical and environmental value. However, Jardim do Principe Real distinguished with the fact that is open to the public and presents a more multifunctional character.


HISTORY

17th century

present


Fig.2: Library in Jardim do Principe Real in 1939 (Fig.1: top-left), in 1949 (Fig.4: down-left) and 1961 (Fig.3: top-right) Source: Arquivo Fotográfico de Lisboa, available at: http://blx.cm-lisboa.pt/ gca/?id=744

Historically, the place was known as Alto da Cotovia, where in 17th century, the son of Marques de Alegrete - Joao Gomes da Silva Teles, projected the construction of a palace, which ended up in ruins as a garbage collector for Bairro Alto in 1740. After that, the place was sold to Jesuits who cleared the site and built the College of Mission which was destroyed by the earthquake of 1755. The space was left as a dump site for many years, until 1853 when there was constructed a garden with romantic characteristics and was called Praça do Príncipe Real. Later, it changed several names (Largo D. Pedro V, Praca Rio de Janeiro). In 1863 the garden changed with earthworks and connected with fountains and in 1869 it was equipped with lighting

and landscaping according to a project led by Gardener John Francisco da Silva. It took its official name “Jardim França Borges” in 1915 when a bust was placed there in honor of this Republican journalist. In the above presented photos, the green space is shown as it was 20 years after its creation. As we can observe, the space has not changed a lot through the years, and reminds a lot of its actual situation.


CLASSIFICATION

Fig. 5: Connection with other green spaces, google maps 2013, own elaboration

Jardim do Principe Real is classified as a public garden due to its rich and variable vegetation, and is part of the secondary green infrastructure of Lisbon. Along with Jardim da Estrela and Jardim Botanico, they create an urban green corridor that connects Avenida da Libertade with Monsanto Park, contributing, in this way, to biodiversity (fig.5). Its main function is mostly recreation and aesthetic value for the urban environment. The garden features more elements that can attract people, as the playground and the kiosks. Furthermore, it is located within a principally residential area, with relatively low population and building densities. However, the surrounding area has lately started to obtain a more recreational and commercial character. From an

economic perspective, it is known for high presence of galleries, commerce and bars (www.lisbonlux.com). Regarding its catchment area, the garden is classified as a local green space, designated mostly to local people located within 800 metres distance. However, as it was observed, the garden hosts several activities that can attract people from other parts of the city, as the open market that is organized every week. Moreover, its location in the historical centre and the fact that is easily accessible with public transportation attract residents from outside its catchment area as well as tourists (fig. 6). As far as public transportation is concerned, there is a bus stop in front of the garden that connects the space with Largo do Rato, Alcantara, Cais do Sodre, Sete Rios and Benfica. Other ways for a


800m .-1 5m inu s te

4

m. 00 - 10 minutes

Fig. 6: Catchment area, google maps 2013, own elaboration

Fig. 7: Green and pedestrian areas rela- Green area: 40% tionship, own elaboration

person to reach the public space is by metro since the subway stations of Rato and Avenida are located in distance of less than 10 minutes walking. In the same distance there are also bus stops of the lines 706, 709, 727, 720, 738 that connect directly also with the eastern and northern part of the city (Praça Chile, Santa Apolonia, Olaias, Areeiro, Campo Grande) and even

Pedestrian area 60%

more long distances (Belém, Restelo) (www.carris.pt). Approximately 40% of the garden’s total area is covered by vegetation and the rest of compact areas. However, as it can be seen in fig.9, the compact areas are covered by ground or stone, and hence, the total of the garden’s area is permeable.


IDENTITY

Fig. 8: Sketch with kiosk and surrounding environment in Principe Real, www.urbansketchers.org


The garden is characterized mainly by its romantic design, highly influenced by the 19th century, when was its construction. The surrounding built environment consists of Moorish buildings, like Palacio Ribeiro da Cunha (Embaixada) constructed during 18th century. Palacio Ribeiro da Cunha is now a commercial centre and hosts mainly shops with portuguese products and handicrafts as well as a space for art exhibitions. Other important buildings and spaces in the adjacent area are the Emirates Embassy, the University of Lisbon and Botanic Garden.


Fig. 9: Museu da Agua, personal archive

It includes many elements that make it a desirable and pleasant area as an underground museum and a cafe/restaurant with esplanade. It features several statues and a retention pond, which is fenced and therefore not very attracting to most of people, as it was observed. Important elements of the public space are the kiosks that are within it and they are the most livable points of the garden. Underneath the garden, there is the Reservatorio do Patriarcal (Reservoir of Patriarcal), founded at the beginning of the second half of 19th century and was the most importand in the water distribution system in city’s downtown. On the top of the reservoir, there is an octagonal shaped retention pond with a fountain. It has a capacity of about 880m3 and four pipes that extend according to

the level of the water and were used as drains. The reservoir stopped functioning in the late 40s and since 1987 is part of the Water Museum (Museu da Agua). It includes also a space for temporary exhibitions and it is connected with a pathway with Alcantara through a 410 meters aquedact (Museu da Agua, 2013). The main materials used are mainly stone and wood and there are 3 sculptures within the park.


Fig. 9: Materials, pavement, personal archive

Fig. 10: Sculptures, personal archive

Fig. 11: Furniture, personal archive


Fig. 12: Vegetation, personal archive

As far as vegetation is concerned, the garden includes mainly low vegetation and tall trees, that not only permits the visibility, but also protects from the sun. The vegetation is rich with many and different species, like shrubs and bushes, as well as old trees. However, the oldest is the huge cedar of Buรงaco, a mexican species located near the centre, whose branches spread 20 meters in diameter.



CONNECTIVITY

Fig. 13: External connections, own elaboration

The garden occupies a whole block and is surrounded by a ring of pedestrian streets of 5 metres width. It has several entrances, all at the same level with the sidewalk, that make the space easily accessible even to people with constraint mobility. In the northern part it is abutted by the bidirectional street Rua dom Pedro V. that connects Rato with Cais do Sodre. The other streets surrounding the space are local streets and therefore less congested. It could be claimed that the internal structure of the garden follows the structure of the streets, as its northern part is more livable that the southern one. The internal division of the garden is related to the diverse uses. The vegetation is also more intense in the northern part, something that creates a more severe barrier between the

garden and the surroundings, in relation to its other spaces. Following this structure, the garden is divided into subareas, each one shaped around different meeting points with different characteristics and kind of users. In specific, in the northern part, the kiosks, the restaurant with esplanade and the cedar of Buรงaco tree attract mainly young people. In the central part, there are the retention pond, the museum, green space and fewer benches, hence it is a space that is mostly dedicated to strolling. Finally, in the southern part there is a playground and tables for games. The vegetation and other elements, such as the pond, define the articulation of the space seperating diverse subareas.


Fig. 14: Amenities, own elaboration

Fig. 15: Meeting points in Jardim do Principe Real, personal archive



PART 2 Observation


OBSERVATION LOCATIONS

Day 1 Tuesday, 17 December 2013 13:30 - 14:30 Weather: Light showers Temperature: 10 째C

Day 2 Saturday, 21 December 2013 11:30 - 12:30 Weather: Sunny Temperature: 8 째C


Day 3 Sunday, 22 December 2013 16:3 0 - 17:30 Weather: Sunny Temperature: 10 째C

Day 4 Monday, 23 December 2013 11:30 - 12:30 Weather: Light showers Temperature: 12 째C


USERS

Fig. 16: Concentration of age groups, own elaboration

The observation analysis showed that Jardim do Principe Real is a popular public space with diverse users. The majority of people using the public space are between 20 and 49 years old. People with different age tend to go to different areas in the public space (see fig.16). As it is already mentioned, the northern part with the kiosks is the most viable with middle aged people to outweigh the other age groups. During workdays, and especially lunch time, many people visit the park for a coffee or snack in the kiosk. It is worth mentioning that many of them were coming by themselves to meet someone there. The garden was really crowded during the open market with local products and handicrafts that takes place once a month. Apart from people that were intentio-

nally going to shop, passersby were slowing down, observing the market and joining the space as well. Most of them were going to the kiosk after shopping. All of the times visited, kiosks were full of people and seem the ideal place for interaction, since people tend to share tables and talk to each other. Respectively, in the other parts of the space we find other group ages, such as children in the south part, where the playground is located. On the other hand, older people, seem to walk and wander around the green space more, rather than being concentrated into a specific space. People tend to stay more when they are with a company, than when they are by themselves. Moreover, weather is also an important factor regarding the du-


48% 52% Fig. 17: People’s concentration per sex, own elaboration

Walking Sitting Reading Photographing/ Drawing Observing

Fig. 18: Relationship between weather and duration of activities, own elaboration

ration of the activities, since, except for the kiosks and restaurant, there is no area protected from the weather. But, many times the park serves only for crossing. Despite, its popularity and its integration into the urban space, the areas with no particular use (southern part) are not that successful. People are attracted by places that have a specific attribute or activity and by other people. In general, there were not observed many spontaneous activities, apart from the ones promoted by the structure and amenities of the park. Hence, the only creative activity was a photoshooting by a group of girls. In all the other cases, people tend to meet at the park in order to discuss, or go by themselves just to have a walk, relax, read or draw (fig. 17).

Fig. 19: Percentage of activities in Jardim do Principe Real, own elaboration

The articulation of the space could be arranged in a way that highlights important activities and protect others. Namely, the playground is located in the southern part, close to the street in an area where vegetation is few. Though this is important because it provides visibility, the planting of some trees could be a protection barrier from the street, ensuring noise reduction and aesthetic improvement. Moreover, the Aqua Museum is not well signed and hence difficult for somebody to find it. The placement of indications could integrate it into the public space and make it more popular and successful. Finally, regarding the ecological characteristics, current vegetation requires a lot of care and water. Instead, other naturally grown species could be used.


Fig. 20: Activities and uses of Jardim do Principe Real



ELECTRONIC SOURCES

www.carris.pt www.lisbonlux.com www.museudaagua.epal.pt www.servicoaguaslivres.com www.wikipedia.com


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