Abstract
Throughout history, Cities and ports had always maintained a very close relationship, constructing the city-port system. These relations were not always linear. Today, we can find large port cities, distinct by trade and by the industrialization, in which the urban network is disposed along the waterfront. The rearrangement of some ports that searched greater areas to support its expansion left abandoned spaces in the city centre. Some of them were empty, but frequently these spaces were full of buildings that deteriorated. In many cities, these spaces had been, in the last years, a target of revitalization and rehabilitation processes, with the purpose of returning cities’ its waterfront. Towards these developments, policy makers could choose to take two paths: a) a passive attitude - abandonment and deterioration of port structures, b) pro-active attitude - investing and stimulating the waterfront uses. The waterfronts revitalization started to take part of public policies. The importance of local actors for the construction of public space was taken into account. Analyzing the social practices and actors networks, it shows that the actors play a key role in this construction, having the ability to exercise power over the territory, due to its position in a certain context. The general objectives are: the analysis of the urban waterfronts evolution as public space, the analysis of the planning mechanisms applied to the waterfronts and the perception of the actor’s role in the transformation of public space. The north riverside front of Almada is the territory under consideration. It´s important to respond the following questions: what changes have happened? Who are the actors and what are their responsibilities in a economic activity change? Which are the public space use impacts?. Interviews method to the key local actors was used. It allowed to measure their perceptions about the riverside, its level of commitment to the territory, and its proposals for a possible waterfront intervention. The interviews helped to differentiate day and night uses of space, which were incorporated into proposals for boosting Armada’s night north riverside front. A functional survey was made in the riverside front and compared with the activities located around the industrial period of Almada (end of the century. XIX - 1980). The propose is to convert the north riverside front of Almada, through rehabilitation of buildings and elements of industrial archaeology, creating activities that promote people´s identification and appurtenance. The cultural and artistic activities are the territory calling. It intends to gather a range of uses: residential, offices and leisure. The functional mix that is proposed will assemble the desire to make the waterfront a live and dynamic public space, also during the night. Key-words: waterfronts, revitalization, local actors, public space, night.