Bairro Alto revisited: reputation and symbolic assets as drivers for sustainable innovation in the city

Abstract

This text aims to shed some light on the role of sustainable innovation in urban development through the analysis of the case of the cultural and creative district of Bairro Alto, in Lisbon. A double analytical perspective is followed in order to understand the sustainable innovations in the area, and the way they can be mobilized to promote urban vitality and urban sustainable quality of life in city center. On one hand, a set of “sustainable innovations” which have been developed and introduced in his quarter during recent years with the purpose to develop quality of life of users and residents and minimize use conflicts in the area are studied. These include local projects in fields such as traffic conditioning, graffiti control and public art strategy; urban cleaning systems; or noise control and nightlife schedules management. On the other hand, the study of a “collective” sustainable innovation, that is linked to the perception of the risks in the evolution of the territorial system and the representations that their agents have about it is developed. Specifically, it relates to the putting in place of a sustainable development strategy for the territory, conducted by some of the local agents, aiming to understand and to deal with the dangers of the overexploitation of this system and the management of its “capacity of charge”. A particular accent is dedicated to the reputation building mechanisms and to the importance of symbolic assets in these processes, challenging the more traditional approaches to urban sustainable development processes and the concept of innovative milieu.