Ecos da Alta
Human-Centered research initiative exploring intergenerational disconnection through qualitative inquiry and participatory design.
Overview
Ecos da Alta is an intergenerational storytelling initiative developed in Alta Lisboa to address the growing disconnect between youth and elders in urban communities. What began as a research inquiry into loneliness evolved into a Human-Centered Design project focused on restoring recognition, shared memory, and mutual value across generations. Through collaborative workshops with Associação Per 11, we facilitated storytelling sessions where elders shared lived experiences and youth interpreted them through drawing and dialogue. The project culminated in a public exhibition at Quinta Alegre, transforming private memories into shared cultural recognition.
Research focus
- Investigating intergenerational disconnection in Lisbon’s bairros
- Exploring loneliness as a symptom of deeper systemic invisibility
- Applying Human-Centered Design and systems thinking
- Identifying storytelling as a tool for restoring recognition and community continuity
Methodology
The project followed an iterative Human-Centered Design process:
- Secondary research on loneliness, urban transformation, and intergenerational initiatives in Portugal and the EU
- Primary research through interviews with elders, community leaders, and youth
- Stakeholder immersion with Associação Per 11 and Quinta Alegre
- Ideation using frameworks and systems mapping
- Low-fidelity prototyping of storytelling formats
- Implementation of live co-creative storytelling sessions
Report
Download PDFThe full research report can be viewed below.
Final presentation
Download PDFSlides summarizing the research findings.
Key insights
- Loneliness is not primarily about physical isolation, but about loss of role, recognition, and voice.
- Intergenerational gaps are reinforced by spatial, cultural, and emotional distance, not lack of goodwill.
- Storytelling functions not only as communication, but as intervention: the act of listening creates connection.
- Sustainable impact requires integration within existing community structures rather than external imposition.
- Small, emotionally resonant experiences can catalyze broader structural shifts when designed collaboratively.
Reflection
Ecos da Alta demonstrated that meaningful social impact emerges from co-creation rather than intervention. We learned to move beyond linear problem-solving and embrace systems thinking, iteration, and adaptive design. The shift from producing a docu-series to prioritizing live storytelling sessions reflected our commitment to process over product. Most importantly, the project reinforced that sustainable change is relational. Trust, humility, and embedded collaboration were not secondary to the outcome they were the foundation of it.