The Transformation of Lisbon's Eastern Waterfront: A Case of Gentrification Due to New Development

Abstract

The Parque das Naí§íµes in Lisbon is a residential, commercial and recreational waterfront area. It is the result of an urban intervention of public initiative associated to the ExpoÍ€™98. The intervention was characterized by the total demolition of the buildings and the substitution of populations of lower income, for populations with greater resources. The objectives of this article are: 1) To portray the area before the demolition as a space of living and to describe the displacement of the populations living there; 2) To interpret this process of urban transformation in the light of the concept of gentrification; and 3) To present the theoretical debate surrounding the concept, questioning its usefulness to understand the recent trends of the elitization of urban centers and of the transformation of urban waterfronts.