This project aims to identify, document, interpret and disseminate current self-regulated community practices in social housing neighborhoods in the city of Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal. We argue that COVID-19 pandemic regulations have had a significant impact on the nature and viability of these practices. The reasons behind this were social distancing, long periods of lockdown and a radical emptying of public space. So, prior models of creative communal practice need re-assessing and re-invention.
In turn, the proposal to document and disseminate these practices aims to strengthen mechanisms of empathy and social solidarity among the population. The findings will be made available for future replication, scaling and adaptation in further national contexts.
Through Design, we aim to disseminate these community practices to other socially disadvantaged communities and encourage them to develop them in their communities, showing them that it’s possible to be successful and teaching these communities how to do it.
In this way, we also intend to demystify that the access to knowledge does not have to be only through a traditional and formal education. The communication solutions we are studying and designing aim to reach these disadvantaged communities with an informal, accessible and captivating language.
There is therefore a mission that is not only social and inclusive, but also educational. Through Design research, we aim to provide means of access to knowledge and active citizenship, in an informal way and adapted to these communities.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS: This project was founded by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) under the reference EXPL/ART-DAQ/0037/2021.

Authors:
Nuno Martins, Polytechnic Institute of Cavado and Ave, Portugal
Daniel Brandão, University of Minho, Portugal
Eliana Penedos-Santiago, Universidade do Porto, Portugal

About the Presenter(s)
Nuno Martins holds a PhD in Digital Media (2013) at the University of Porto, Portugal.
He also holds a MA in Multimedia Art and a BA in Communication Design at FBAUP.
He is currently Principal Investigator (PI) of the project “ECHO", funded by FCT.

Connect on Linkedin
https://www.linkedin.com/in/nuno-martins-1555295/

Connect on ResearchGate
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Nuno-Martins-18

Additional website of interest
https://www.cienciavitae.pt//en/C718-14EA-9B14

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