Virtual lost cities: The case of pre-earthquake Lisbon

On 1 November 1755 Lisbon suffered a major earthquake of catastrophic consequences. On its ruins, a reticular, regular plan gave shape to a new city. The study of pre-earthquake Lisbon has always been hindered by the scarcity of reliable documentary sources and their fragmentary character. The project City and Spectacle: a vision of pre-earthquake Lisbon enabled the processing and examining of all the relevant data about the old city in a comprehensive and all-inclusive manner, through the use of virtual worlds technology. By means of a multi-sensory simulation of the lost city, taking into consideration its urban, architectural, social and cultural aspects, the scientific community is now able to produce knowledge on the subject and share it in an interactive and immersive environment in real time. Therefore, the scope of the research was not only widened but also transformed in terms of its methodological and epistemological paradigm.