Summary Table: Diagnosis, Strategy of the Intervention, Proposal and Plan

POTENCIALITIES
Repblica Square, due to its dimension and relationship with the surrounding environment, plays the part of a major central point, belonging to an hierarchical system of different centres and sub centres, which are connected with each other by roads, designing the urban structure. In the same line of thought, an axis stands out on the intervention area, which performs a structuring role that helps consolidate the urban area as a hole, and this particular part.

INSUFFICIENCIES
Growing difficulty to get a clear reading of the urban image, what is leading to the loss of character and identity of the place. Diffusion and fragmentation of the urban space, caused by a strong real estate pressure.

INTERVENTION STRATEGIES
All partial interventions should foresee the creation of a global urban shape of the Montijo town as an articulated block.

PROPOSAL / PROJECT
Renewal of a fundamental urban space, allowing a more extensive transformation, in order to embrace, with conscience and balance, a space that was left aside and lifeless, with the estuary, in one hand, and with the dynamic city, in the other.

Urban and territorial context

Natural physical support and physical environment

Existence of a natural environment, rich and diversified due to the presence of the river, of saltpans and marshes. There is a line of water and its adjacent natural spaces, which enters through the peninsula of Montijo and flows into the Tagus river, helping to read the urban image and allowing the creation of a continuous flow of natural recreational spaces incorporated in the town.

N and NW undesirable wind associated to a plane topography. Strong solar exposure. Poor and sensitive soils, with an area under the influence of the tides.

Sizing and orientation of the spaces of permanency, built or not, in order to get the best climatic comfort in the interior and exterior areas and a better energetic sustainability of the buildings. Ensure the dynamism of the cost line, choosing not to waterproof the soil, or even to plant species that will endure and, at the same time, that are resistant to the climate and soil characteristics. Creation of a main ecological structure that assures the continuity and the relationship of the natural spaces.

Disposition of the columns of buildings aiming to create inner spaces protected from the wind. The typology of the buildings seeks the correct solar exposure of the programmed activities, trying to take advantage of the natural landscape offered by the presence of the water. Recovery of the marshes and of the tide mills for new purposes. Creation of a green corridor that follows a water line and helps delimiting the area of intervention. Opening of channels, which penetrate the proposed urban area.

Accessibility

The town of Montijo, holds a relatively favourable positioning, regarding the new accessibilities, what contributed to increase its importance on a regional level. Such a potential, if well managed, can represent a unique opportunity to the development and rehabilitation on the intervention area taken as a reinforcement of the central and riverside area of the town of Montijo. Existence of an inactive railway line. The Bela Vista street constitutes one of the most important axis connecting the town centre with the exterior, leading to the East zone of the riverside.

Poor connection of the town with the riverside front due to the major accessibilities that were created mainly on the East/West direction.

Promote the connections between the town and the riverside front, through the creation of secondary North-South routes that cross the Bela Vista street, generating successive meeting points (squares). Reactivation of the railway channel as an efficient, sustainable and alternative means of transportation by adopting a system such as a people mover. Promotion of diverse walking paths that assure the continuity of access and living inside the area of intervention.

Redesign of the Bela Vista street with the creation of superficial parking places under the influence area of the proposed multifunctional platforms. Proposal of a new and alternative street that allows access and flow to and from the inside of the area under study. Creation of walking and bicycle paths throughout the renaturalised margin, and from this into the urban tissue.

Built

Existence of built structures characteristic of industrial harbour spaces, whose existence allows us to read the past, and which can suffer new interventions in order to adjust to new purposes. Existence of housing blocks that encourage animation of the public or semi-public spaces, as well as the transmission of culture and costumes.

Existence of dissonant buildings that corrupt the character of unity of the place. Walls.

Assumption of a new morphology that recreates a forgotten territory.

Renewal and re-adaptation of the structures and walls of the existing warehouses, vacant or under-exploited, by adopting new divisions and purposes, incorporating small grids of walking paths. Proposal of multi-functional platforms, implemented on the inner empty spaces of the street that generates them, aggregating different functions around urban courtyards.

Not built

Existence of an axis potentially structuring of the urban grid close to the riverside, that is directly connected to the global structure of the town helping its consolidation. Existence of urban empty spaces that allow the intervention, either to ensure the valorisation of the built or the not built spaces.

Discontinuity of the major public spaces.

Promote the articulation of the public space through the creation of a succession of squares connected by the structuring axis that is the Bela Vista street.

Proposal of a new morphology, renewing the structuring street of the project, through the tension between fragmented implantation of the new urban blocks and the existing buildings, volumetrically and typologically differentiated, materialised in the drawing of channels, squares and small streets.

Functions activities

Urban scale leading to gathering and to the diversity of functions. Central localisation.

Progressive disappearing of the usages and functions associated to the riverside zone, which have not been replaced. Deactivated warehouses.

Promote the diversity and the synergy of functions compatible with the housing function. Introduction of anchor projects, attracting inhabitants to the area of the intervention. investors and

Residences Services and local shopping House of culture/space for a museum Youth Inn

Give life to the town based on housing, working and recreation. Loss of local dynamism. Lack of structuring equipments. Re-lodge the local population, with consequent improvement of the quality of life.

Naval club with museum Public walkway highly equipped at the primitive fluvial terminal. Green spaces equipped with informal sport facilities.