Reflections on public space in preserved hubs: possible relationships between heritage and urban design

Abstract

The urban space of a city is the result of social interactions with and between people who use and experience this space, thus configuring the public sphere of a city. We can also consider that the construction of these spaces is directly related to the way in which their free building spaces relate to their built spaces. In a city of heritage character, these characteristics are added to the historical and cultural values that must be protected and valued through safeguarding and protection actions. However, current Brazilian legislation acts more on the building, and despite including urban complexes and their surroundings, does not seem to consider that the safeguarding and protection of a city's heritage also involve urban planning, i.e., the safeguarding and protection actions must be related to urban planning actions, present both in the master plans and in the intervention and maintenance actions of the existing public space. The general objective of this research was to establish and identify the existing relationships between urban design and urban environmental heritage, that comprise both the safeguard and protection aspects and those of urban quality. The case study methodology was used, choosing for this the city of Laguna, on the southern coast of Santa Catarina. The procedures used were: the historical-structural analysis through the study of the urban evolution of the city; the registration process; and the current characteristics of its public spaces. It is possible to consider that the research thus contributed to the reflection on the practices of urban environmental heritage protection, related to urban development actions and qualification of public spaces.