Urban Protagonism and City Project: The Public and Patrimonial Condition of Cities

Abstract

The urban protagonism, in its more or less euphemistic modes of affirmation and projection of the cities, has been a recurrent theme, in the last years, of the debate on the future of those urban entities. This article, which is part of an ongoing research project, seeks to discuss that notion, which is markedly ideological in terms of various thematic areas, part of which has fueled this debate, in particular issues related to economic globalization and with the said urban competitiveness. In an attempt to overcome some of these limits, we try to situate that notion in the context of a broader, though somewhat ambiguous debate on urban heritage, which led the author to stress the public and patrimonial condition of cities. Finally, the set of reflections presented here allows us to move towards a more specific approach, articulating, then, that urban protagonism with the "idea" and the "design" that can configure a city project.