Ecological restoration and economic revitalization of industrial areas. The case study of Lusalite and Gist-Brocades complex in Cruz Quebrada

Mestrado em Arquitectura Paisagista - Instituto Superior de AgronomiaThe topics covered in this thesis result from a project carried out in the context of international competition ‘UrbanSOS’, whose purpose was the rehabilitation of a former industrial area and its economic revitalization. The selected area is located in Cruz Quebrada (Oeiras, Portugal), locality in which the industrial activity was crucial for economic and urban spread until the end of the past century. Visible and invisible traces of this activity marked significantly the landscape. The regeneration of an ecological balance looked like a priority. The aim of this project was to transform this need into a planning opportunity. The choice done was to re-create an ecosystem artificially, being the motor of multiple activities to dynamise the area and transform it into an attractive one, for tourists and for locals. The nature of the area, as well as its location and vocation, worked as a starting point for the indepth analysis and discussion of multiple arguments. In this way, the structure of the thesis can be divided into two major parts. The first one describes, in a generic and theoretical way, models and solutions adopted for the project area. Their specific application to the project, on the other hand, is the object of the second par