Porto. Tensions Between Urban Renewal and the Use of Street Art as a Tourist Attraction

This chapter examines how the city of Porto manages street art as a means of tourist attraction, but also of indirectly revalorizing the city. It specifically analyzes how these actions impact on the social, economic, and cultural changes the city undergoes, including their effect on neighborhood dynamics and their contribution to gentrification in prominent areas. The main objective is to understand how the interaction between tourism, urban art, and urban change is shaping Porto’s identity and development in the twenty-first century. Through this analysis, it seeks to illuminate the evolving processes that characterize this Portuguese city and their implications for local and foreign residents and visitors. In addition, it recognizes the role of street art in enhancing the city’s image, as well as the visibility of a more contested urban art in response to current events.