Study of urban form in Portugal: a comparative analysis of the cities of Lisbon and Oporto

Abstract

The first part of the paper outlines the study of urban morphology in Portugal published during the last 10 years. A small but interesting group of studies of some Portuguese cities was found and will be briefly characterized. The second part of the paper concerns the evolution of the urban form of the two largest Portuguese cities – Lisbon and Oporto – during the 19th and the 20th centuries. A GIS-based methodology was chosen to redesign and interpret all known, available and credible maps produced in these last two centuries. Different periods of urban development of these cities are identified and compared. The evolution of the urban form of Lisbon is better understood by considering four distinct morphological periods. In contrast, the Oporto history urban form only requires the consideration of three periods. Despite these differences, a number of common features in the evolution of these cities have also been recognized and is further explored.