The community project "Paredes que nos Unem" aims to strengthen the emotional connections of residents with the neighborhood through co-created art, community gardens, and social and professional training, reinforcing inclusion, belonging, and reducing inequalities.
Problems and Purpose
The Paredes que nos Unem (Walls That Unite Us) project emerged as a response to persistent social challenges identified among residents of 14 social housing developments located in the municipality of Valongo: Galinheiro and Outrela (Valongo Parish), Palmilheira, Mirante de Sonhos and Montes da Costa, Sampaio (Ermesinde Parish), Barreiro de Cima, Serra Amarela and São Bartolomeu (Alfena Parish), Baldeirão I and Baldeirão II, 1º de Maio, Balselhas and Padre António Vieira (Union of Parishes of Campo and Sobrado). It starts from a perspective of "home" as more than just lodging. By understanding housing in a broad sense – as habitat – emerges the commitment to guarantee a certain complicity, the establishment of affective bonds and the projection of feelings towards the neighborhood.
The stigma associated with social housing remains a factor of symbolic exclusion, leading some people to conceal where they live for fear of discrimination in various contexts such as at work, at school, or during social gatherings. This phenomenon has direct impacts on residents' attachment to the neighborhood, affecting emotional connection and promoting disaffiliation and precariousness of social ties, both internally and in relation to surrounding communities.
In this context, the need to reinforce the neighborhood as a place of residence, belonging, and collective identity is identified. To this end, it becomes urgent to stimulate close relationships, promote inclusion, and foster feelings of belonging and ownership of the neighborhood among residents. The project, therefore, aims to fulfill these objectives by promoting initiatives in the areas of art, sports, and social and professional development. Starting from a characterization of the residents' needs, the project encouraged the active participation of citizens, ultimately promoting transformative solutions and approaches to deconstruct stereotypes and reduce social inequalities.
Background History and Context
Valongo is a municipality with approximately 100,000 inhabitants and an area of 75.12 km², located on the outskirts of the city of Porto. Citizen participation has been one of the municipality's main priorities. Numerous initiatives have been implemented over the last few years, such as the Valongo Youth Participatory Budgeting, the ‘Eu Conto!’ Participatory Budgeting, and the Biblioteca Humana (Human Library). The latter is a non-formal education activity aimed at combating prejudice and is primarily directed at young people, having even won the Good Practices in Participation award given by the RAP - Redes das Autarquias Participativas (Network of Participatory Municipalities). More recently, the Valongo City Hall implemented the Valongo 4.0 project: À Procura do Meu Lugar, a participatory process for the revision of the Municipal Master Plan that places children and young people at the center of reflection on the future of their play spaces.
It is within this context of great participatory dynamism that the Paredes que nos Unem project emerged in 2023. This is one of several projects approved under the Action Plan developed for Disadvantaged Communities in the Porto Metropolitan Area of the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR), focused on the economically and socially vulnerable communities of the municipality of Valongo.
Organizing, Supporting, and Funding Entities
The Paredes que nos Unem project was promoted by the Valongo City Council and financed under the PRR - Porto Metropolitan Area.
Participant Recruitment and Selection
The project was open to all residents of social housing developments in the municipality of Valongo.
Methods and Tools Used
The Paredes que nos Unem project was based on a participatory and empowering methodology, centered on the active involvement of residents of Social Housing developments in the various stages of intervention. Starting from a prior characterization of local needs, the method was based on the co-creation of solutions with the community, through the promotion of participation sustained by joint discussion, sharing of opinions and consensus building.
The intervention materialized through the dynamization of diverse and integrated actions that articulated the requalification of spaces, social and professional training and the promotion of community relations, using art, sport and sustainable practices as mechanisms for social inclusion and appreciation of the territory.
What Went On: Process, Interaction, and Participation
The project developed from the implementation of concrete and transformative solutions through the involvement of residents. As such, the following actions were promoted:
- Creation of Resident Spaces - these consisted of physical community spaces, which residents had the mission of rehabilitating, using art as an instrument of inclusion and appreciation of the neighborhood. These spaces also functioned as training centers for autonomy, citizenship, inclusion, and employability. Among the activities, the training of local mediators stands out, in order to guarantee the connection between the community and the municipality.
- Community Gardens - This project involved the requalification of green spaces, fulfilling a need expressed by the resident population. Residents were trained in organic farming, promoting contact with nature, a sense of community, collective responsibility, and appreciation of the territory.
- Sports: MEXE-TE - This project promoted sports activities as a tool for social inclusion, encouraging healthy lifestyles while fostering values such as cooperation, respect, tolerance, and community spirit.
- Inclusion through Art: Arte Ó Bairro - This project developed artistic activities in a participatory manner. Art and culture are seen as fundamental elements for the development and quality of life of anyone, whether as leisure or as a creative practice. The action aimed to create social and inclusive responses for the residents.
External Links
https://www.amp.pt/prr-projeto/paredes-que-nos-unem/
https://www.cm-valongo.pt/participar/processo-participativo-pdmv/valongo-4-0
