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Porto 2001 – European Cultural Capital came
up as an innovative project that pretended to fight two serious problems:
on the one hand the lack of venues and cultural events and, on the
other hand the need to restore some noble areas of the city. I always
supposed betting on culture had has its major goal forming citizens
with a broader view of reality, more able to see being their every
day needs, more capable of receiving information. I always disagreed
of those who think that spending public money on shows in a country
where there are people who still don’t have a house to live
in is misspending money. In the beginning the problems must be solved
through giving people the ability to assume themselves has full citizens,
capable of exercising their rights, and for that Culture is fundamental.
That’s why it makes me sad to see the city hall of Porto,
much like the Porto 2001 Society, have “forgotten” to
give the example and treat all citizens with due respect, regardless
of their abilities or disabilities. It’s hard to assure the
democratization of culture when the mere access to the street is
a sometimes unsurpassable obstacle. Here are some examples.
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Those who want to climb Júlio Dinis
Avenue up or down, from the Crystal Palace to the Rotunda da
Boavista, have now ramps near the zebra crossings. But it’s
a shame they forgot some people don’t want to climb the
avenue up or down, they want to cross it from one side to the
other. Nobody remembered. It’s a shame.
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As you can see in the picture the works
in Largo do Bom Sucesso were hard on everyone. If the one accountable
for these works were to be forced to walk through the area
blindfolded or in a weelchair, maybe next time they’d
think twice before covering holes with those plastic pieces
they use to delimitate traffic areas. Plus, the fences make
the pavement the only way out of there, but there are no ramps.
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Here, in the future House of Music you can see how the
works promoted by the Porto 2001 Society weren’t contaminated
by the promoter’s intentions: they occupied the pavement
of Avenida da Boavista and the space between the fence and
the bus stop is what you can see. There’s no ramp either,
what makes it twice as complicated. And that useful metal bar
(a “banister”?) prevents any attempts of going
to the asphalt. Has Culture trapped the citizen?
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