Common Ground: Training school in Porto-Gaia

By Els Keunen

A group of 37 students and lecturers from the University of Stuttgart spent a full week in Porto and Gaia to get to know the context and learn about affordable and social housing. The visit is part of two jointly organised design studios titled “Common Ground”, in which students will develop proposals for strategies and/or designs for area-based interventions in selected sites in Porto and Gaia. The studios are organised by the University of Stuttgart in cooperation with DASH partners Domus Social in Porto and Gaiurb in Gaia. The objective of the training school in Porto and Gaia was for the students to become acquainted with the context of Portugal in general, Gaia and Porto, and the selected sites more specifically. 

The training school took place between 26 October and 2 November. Those who arrived on early flights had the opportunity to get a first taste of the historic city centre of Porto with a guided tour on 26 October. 

 The programme fully started on 27 October. Participants gathered at Domus Social, where Porto’s outgoing councillor for urban planning, public space and heritage, Pedro Baganha, introduced the work of Domus Social. Domus Social staff members then took the group to three different sites: Dona Leonor, the area between Campanhã Station, São Vicente Paulo, Monte da Bela, Falcão, Parque Alameda Cartes and the Matadouro, and lastly the area of São Vítor and Fontainhas. Their locations in Porto, as well as their typologies, varied considerably and offered the students insights into how social housing has been organised throughout time. With all the information provided by Domus Social and the questions asked by the students, time flew by.

On 28 October, we changed municipality and went to Gaia, where colleagues from Gaiurb welcomed us at their office. In the morning, they introduced us to a plethora of relevant topics: Gaia and Gaiurb, housing policies, challenges and opportunities in Portugal, the Gaiurba model of organising and managing social housing, Roma in Gaia and Portugal, social housing and the energy transition, and social housing renovation. They had even recorded interviews with the Roma community and made a wonderful video. In the afternoon, we took a walking tour to Manuel Clemente (social housing), and the Castelo area (urban renewal), also appreciating the WalkinGaia signs along the way. 

Wednesday 29 October and Thursday 30 October were dedicated to on-site data collection. The studio focusing on the area around Duque de Saldanha in Porto was accompanied by Domus Social, who guided the group to the Municipal Historical Archive, organised a walking tour in the area and a focus group discussion with local artists and activists. 

The Gaia studio group went to Grijó, the selected area for their studio. Not only did Gaiurb staff members guided the students around on a walking tour, they also organised a discussion with the parish president and a social worker. In the afternoon of 30 October, we all gathered at the Gaiurb office for a big ‘world café’, an interactive format in which students could interview key experts. There were many: Gaiurb staff from housing, sustainability, urban planning, social work, and the legal department. Moreover, there were also residents from social housing, representatives from the Roma community, a lecturer from the Faculty of Architecture, and a colleague from Domus Social. A lot of people to talk to; the session was over before we realised it. 

On 31 October, students had time in the morning to put together their impressions before presenting their preliminary findings in the afternoon. There was also an additional tour in Grijó facilitated by the local social worker, which was great for some last questions. We convened at 15h at the Faculty of Architecture in Porto (FAUP), where we were welcomed by Prof. Joana Restivo. Before starting the presentations, she gave us a tour of the campus, designed by famous Portuguese architect Álvaro Siza Vieira. During the presentations, it was great to receive feedback from local experts from the university, Domus Social, and Gaiurb. We closed the training school with a dinner with staff members from Gaiurb, Domus Social, and students and staff from the University of Stuttgart.  

We all returned from the excursion full of inspiration. Here are some impressions from the participants:

“Participating in the “Common Ground” training school in Porto and Vila Nova de Gaia was a truly formative experience, especially for our group working with Gaiurb on Vila Nova de Gaia. Affordable housing stands as a pan-European challenge, and witnessing Gaia’s municipal efforts—from social housing management and social work integration to navigating complex European funding schemes—not only provided concrete case insights, but also underscored the vital need to share best practices across Europe. Being able to contribute our strategies and ideas as future urban planners felt like a meaningful opportunity to engage with these shared urban inclusion challenges.”
(Jasper Schmidt, Gaia studio)

“I very much appreciated the Porto excursion we did from 27 Oct to 01 Nov. As someone without a research background, it was my first time participating in such an intensive academic trip, and it really showed me how powerful and insightful this context can be. SI provided us with multiple opportunities to engage with local institutions, experts, and residents, offering us a much closer view of Porto’s history and its ongoing urban transformation and housing crisis. It was very inspiring and incredibly valuable to learn about the city’s complexity and dynamics in such a hands-on,
nuanced way.” (Lucie Xue, Porto studio)

“Visiting Gaia was an intensive one-week crash course in policy and urban governance, from the regional scale down to the municipal, local and neighbourhood levels. Key stakeholders were incredibly generous in walking us through their expertise, from legal advisors and rehabilitation leads to the social team whose closeness to the community made every exchange meaningful. The experience was truly enriching. It gave us a clearer understanding of the challenges on the ground and the commitment of those working every day to address them.”
(Felipe Gonzalez Zapata, Gaia studio)

“We were truly inspired by the generosity and openness of the knowledge exchange on social housing in Porto and Vila Nova de Gaia, as well as the warm hospitality extended to us. Collaborating with our Portuguese colleagues from Domus Social and Gaiurb, alongside the many local experts we had the pleasure of meeting, proved to be an exceptionally enriching experience. We sincerely appreciate your dedication to addressing the housing crisis and are confident that your efforts will not only enhance the quality of life for local residents but also positively impact the future careers of our students.” (Sigrid Busch, coordinator of the Porto design studio)

Overall, it was a wonderful experience, made possible by the local DASH partners. We wish to thank them for their generosity, expertise, and invaluable contributions to the planning and delivery of this training school. Their tireless support throughout the entire period was greatly appreciated by the students and the University of Stuttgart team. Thank you!