COIMBRA INVISÍVEL
2014
—
Mobile Application for the Rediscovery of the Former Uptown of vanished Coimbra.
From 1926 to 1974 Portugal suffered the longest authoritarian regime in Western Europe. In the political context of Estado Novo, headed by António de Oliveira Salazar, the city of Coimbra was the target of a project for urban improvement which translated into the demolition of the mesh of the former city’s uptown, opening a space for the expansion of Cidade Universitária (University Town). This process caused not only irreparable losses from historical heritage but also drastic changes in the social dynamic due to the processes of eviction of their own inhabitants.
Through a collection of photos of Coimbra before the demolitions in 1942, this mobile application allows the visitant to review the physical aspect of the Uptown, such as the market, the outdoor spaces, the buldings, etc.
Having the typography used in the stores of the Uptown in consideration, the identity of this project grew from this letters that were redesigned for this purpose. As one of the colors allowed to paint the houses in this period was red, that became the main color used in this project.
All this process of research between the material — photographs — and immaterial — interviews of some of the former inhabitants of the Former Uptown — resulted in a mobile application that shows how this place were and all the stories that were lost in time.
The visitor could choose the path(s) that he wants such as Market, Demolitions, Buildings, Outdoor Spaces, Events, People, Fraterneties and Streets. Then, he could see all the points marked in the map and decide, taking into account his current location, the places that he intends to visit.
There is also a secondary menu that allows the user to consult some historic information of this period, to compare the maps between 1942 and 1974, to review the visits that he once documented with this application, and to navigate in a gallery which contains all of the photos used in the app.
