Uploaded on 2014-10-11 by FFarinhas

As an architect my main concern is how to maintain liveable urban fabric when small towns like Esposende will start to suffer the pressur of being included in a metropolitan area. Right now it is on a fringe of a metropolitan area and the effects of the need of a second residence, or even live here and work one hour drive is visible. There are already people that says that Esposende is the better district of Porto. For this first exercise I’ve choose this photo taken on the marginal of this small town on a Saturday mornning: ![enter image description here][2] In this photo we can see houses for one family, located in the meadle of each plot, lots of green all around (public and private space), two types of public lamps, a bus stop on the left, few cars and people walking in a sidewalk that includes a bike path. With these data it is possible to infer that local policies favor the redevelopment of public spaces, with particular emphasis on intermodality (public transport - buses, bicycles and pedestrians). By the selection and quantity of public lamps we can also infer the importance given to the design and safety of the public space. We can also notice that each plot has enough area to ensure the parking of vehicles. If we could cross the information on the costs of public lighting with the data of public safety, and the number of residents that have chosen to live here but work in the big city, we could infer gains and amenities in the local economy. Those amenities will be important to define the identity of the place within a metropolitan area, and it allows, in a small scale, to review the strategies and complementary socio-economic cohesion that several districts have to have in a city with thousands of inhabitants. [1]: https://edxuploads.s3.amazonaws.com/14130464367856515.jpg [2]: https://edxuploads.s3.amazonaws.com/14130465045234338.jpg