THE THRESHOLD’S THICKNESS. Urbanity, Form and Type of Transition Spaces in the City of Lisbon

Abstract

This paper aims to identify and decode the diversity of transition spaces, in-between public, and private urban elements. These transition spaces, shaped by architectural devices that mediate public-private relations and the activities that unfold in them, reveal specific urban qualities. By elaborating a previous classification of these transition architectonic devices, identifying their types, and understanding their appropriations, the research expects to decode the composition of these transition fluid figures in urban space. These porous spaces build the hypothesis that the condition of urban life is correlated with the form that supports it, making of transition spaces urban catalysts. Having the city of Lisbon as study field, this research combines a typo-morphological approach with the behavior impact of transition space users, proposing a matrix, supported by interpretative drawing, that allows to focus on diverse case studies using distinct indicators.

Keywords: transition spaces, threshold, typo-morphology, material urbanity, Lisbon.