Sense(s) of the city: Cultural mapping in Porto, Portugal

The elusive notion of sense of place and the possible ways it may be researched in a contemporary city are the central themes of this article. Sense of place has been in the focus of attention of heritage, space and place-related scientists, such as cultural geographers, planners and architects, since 1970s. That was the epoch of revival of researchers' interest for the places' character in diverse fields of study dealing with cities. The argument related to the sense of place revolves around several principal ideas: that history and meaning are the defining characteristics of a place; that there is an interdependence of senses and meanings, embodied in the sense of place; and that it is needed to acknowledge the perspective of the people who give sense and meaning to a place. How can cultural mapping be used to address these issues and grasp the sense(s) of contemporary city? This was explored through a series of workshops conducted with artists and citizens as a part of case study of the sense(s) of Porto.