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- Towards Rural Land Use: Challenges for Oversizing Urban Perimeters in Shrinking TownsPublication . Sá, João Paulo Costa e; Virtudes, Ana L.This article, based on the literature review, aims to study the challenges of the urban dispersion and oversizing of urban perimeters, in the cases where the towns are shrinking or spreading to the rural land-use. It is focused on the case of Portugal where during the last decades there was an escaping to the big cities alongside to the sea (Atlantic and Mediterranean) shore. In the Interior part of the country, which means near to the border with Spain, several towns are shrinking, despite their huge urban perimeters, proposed by the municipal master plans, since the middle of the nineties. Consequently, these urban perimeters are nowadays oversizing, with empty buildings and non-urbanized areas. At the same time, the social patterns of occupation of this territory have changed significantly, moving from a society with signs of rurality to an urban realm, understood not only in territorial terms but also regarding the current lifestyle. This deep changing has occurred not only in urbanistic terms but also in the economic, cultural and social organizations of the country, under a movement that corresponds to a decline of the small urban settlements in rural areas, far away from the cosmopolitan strip of land nearby the sea, in between the capital city, Lisbon and the second one Oporto. These transformations were not driven by any significant public policy for landuse actions. On the contrary, the production of urban areas, supporting the new model of economic and social development was largely left to the initiative of economic and social private agents and land owners. These agents were the leading responsible for the new urban developments and housing. In this sense, this research aims to present some strategies for the short time period regarding the devolution of urban areas to rural land use. In this sense, the next steps of spatial planning policies, under the role of local authorities (the 308 municipalities including Madeira and Azores islands, plus the continental part of the country), which are their main promoters, will be motivated by the need of advocating the swap of many urban areas towards the rural land use, shrinking many existent urban perimeters in depressed territories. How will the non-urbanized spaces, included in the urban perimeters, twenty years ago, by the pivotal instrument of spatial planning in Portugal, the Municipal Master Plans turn back to the rural land-use, losing their market value? This is the base of the challenges ahead, analysed in this article.
- Ecological Approach as an Urban Solution for Sensitive AreasPublication . Virtudes, Ana L.; Kakosova, Nina; Filippidi, Nikoleta; Carriço, AnaThe urban spaces of river banks are sensitive areas, not only in environmental terms but also considering the spatial planning rules. Often the spatial planning rules are focused on building and urban development questions rather than of ecological approaches. In this sense, this article aims to present an urban design project for a sensitive territory of river banks having as pivotal concern ecological solutions. This proposal is due to the requirement of linking the landscape features of river water fronts with the characteristics of the urban fabric. The case study area is the Train Station surroundings in São Pedro do Sul, a city in the central region of Portugal very well-known because of its thermal baths. It was proposed to the university team, on behalf of the Urban Planning Unit of the Master Degree in Architecture at the University of Beira Interior, by the Municipal authority. The students were organized in groups in order to propose the urban design projects, ensuring the continuity of the urban fabric with the Vouga river. The best projects won prizes (1st , 2 nd and two honour awards) offered by the city hall. This fact was an extra motivation for students along to the design process in an academic environment comprising an international background (including Portugal, Greece, Brazil, Slovakia, Lithuania and Poland). Regarding the presented solution, the conclusions show that the main strategy was to preserve and to enhance the ecological identity of the place, possible given the agreement in between university and municipal authority, working together.
- City design: housing neighbourhood project methodologiesPublication . Virtudes, Ana L.City design is a subject taught under the subject of Architecture. This paper aims to present the results of a neighbourhood housing project which was done as part of the Urban Planning discipline in the 4th year of a Master Degree in Architecture. This project was prepared using a methodological approach based on the analysis of urban morphological elements and the continuity requirements in between them. The case study area is a peripheral housing neighbourhood, where the majority of buildings are single houses. Among its most problematic aspects is the fact that this is a mono-functional zone, with no diversity of recreational activities, a shortage of green spaces, and lack of commercial places. The urban continuity in between this block and the city is weak based upon a car lane with no sidewalks for pedestrians nor cycling paths. The most favourable conditions are the low density of existing buildings, the topography being flat and the social cohesion of local inhabitants. The urban design solutions propose the end of the existent urban voids, the continuity of the urban fabric with the city centre, the creation of new functional buildings including shops, offices and public spaces for sport activities.
- Monitoring the Assessment of Vernacular Buildings using an ICT MethodPublication . Virtudes, Ana L.; Barroso, Daniela; Almeida, Filipa Alexandra da Costa; Quaresma, João André Duarte; Fernandes, Manuela; Conde, Sofia; Mateus, Tiago da ConceiçãoNowadays, one of the main challenges in high levels of education, is to deal with ICT as a tool in teaching methodologies. This article aims to present some results of the use of an ICT platform as a tool in spatial analysis. It is focused on the study of vernacular architecture buildings, based on the case study of wooden house villages of Tagus river banks, in Portugal. This is the unique legacy in this country, of wooden vernacular architecture in areas submitted to regular floods. The main typology of these buildings refers to stilt-houses, which have their roots in the middle XIX century. Along the time, they have been subjected to a degradation process caused by the lack of repair actions, driving to an aggravation of their status of conservation, or caused by repair actions, driving to an aggravation of their distance to the vernacular architectural matrix. Consequently, there are less than one hundred buildings remaining in five villages. The used ICT tool refers to the software DECMAvi, which is an evaluation method of buildings, designed on purposes to analyse two criteria of these territories of vernacular architecture; the status of buildings conservation and their level of proximity to the vernacular architectural matrix. This method was tested firstly in 2014 and then in 2016, and the results are allowing to obtain results coming from a comparative analysis during this period of time, in order to know if the buildings are better, worst or in same condition, and from a spatial analysis in between the considered villages and their vernacular buildings.
- Soft Mobility as a Smart Condition in a Mountain CityPublication . Virtudes, Ana L.; Azevedo, Henrique Oliveira de; Abbara, Arwa; Sá, João Paulo Costa eNowadays soft mobility is a crucial issue towards a most sustainable urban environment. Not only because it promotes a less polluted atmosphere among the always dense and busy urban fabric, but also because it avoids several traffic problems. The use of bicycles, or mechanic mechanisms to support the pedestrian mobility is an emerging requirement of cities’ quality. In this sense, this article aims to discuss the soft mobility as a requirement of smart cities having as a case study one mountain urban area. It refers to the urban area of Covilhã on the highest mountain of Portugal with nearly two thousand meters high. During the last decades, this city’s transformation process has driven to an urban sprawl to the suburbs, increasing the efforts in terms of transportation required by the commuters. In fact, the number of inhabitants living in the city centre is decreasing in favour of the peripheral neighbourhoods. At the same time a set of several mechanic mechanisms such as public lifts, has been built in order to promote a soft pedestrian mobility. However, in many cases, because of the lack of connection and continuity of pedestrian paths in between these mechanisms, they are not allowing a pedestrian mobility network at the city scale. Thus, this paper aims to present a set of good practices in terms of pedestrian mobility network at the city scale, in order to promote a smarter urban environment. The principal results are that soft mobility is a key issue in order to turn cities smarter, among several other factors such as smart economy, smart people, smart governance or smart living. The major conclusions show that the concerns with mobility are key tools to achieve the smart city sustainability, providing and efficient and flexible traveling across the urban fabric, boosting the use of non-polluting ways of mobility. At the same time, there is the conclusion that the underlying areas of development for a smart city, despite its cultural or territorial environments, include several aspects such as reducing the transportation problems as congestion, traffic jams or painful accidents.
- ICT Method for Evaluation of Heritage Buildings ConservationPublication . Virtudes, Ana L.; Almeida, Filipa Alexandra da CostaHistorical buildings, such as vernacular architecture typologies, have been threatened by the vulnerability to their status degradation. This problem is not an exception in Portugal, where the few remaining examples of wooden stilt-houses, along Tagus river banks, have been neglected, with the disappearance or abandonment of almost all buildings, weakening the European cultural map. In Europe has been observed a growing concern in order to develop methods, tools and instruments for the management of current buildings stock, especially focused on housing, in order to improve their performances. However, these methods are don’t fit in the features of traditional buildings such as wooden houses of vernacular architecture. In this sense, this research presents the detailed methodology used for the creation of an ICT (information and communication technology) method, especially designed for the evaluation of status of historical buildings conservation. It is focused on the explanation of its two main tools: the diagnosis record and the software. The results are an exhaustive survey of buildings features, useful as guideline for spatial planning strategies and instruments to protect this legacy. The proposed ICT method can be used in other similar buildings, and therefore to define best rehabilitation actions.
- Teaching Methodologies in Spatial Planning for Integration of International StudentsPublication . Virtudes, Ana L.; Cavaleiro, VictorNowadays, the spread of international exchanges is growing among university students, across European countries. In general, during their academic degrees, the high education students are looking for international experiences abroad. This goal has its justification not only in the reason of pursuing their studies, but also in the desire of knowing another city, a different culture, a diverse way of teaching, and at the same time having the opportunity of improving their skills speaking another language. Therefore, the scholars at the high level of educational systems have to rethink their traditional approaches in terms of teaching methodologies in order to be able to integrate these students, that every academic year are coming from abroad. Portugal is not an exception on this matter, neither the scientific domain of spatial planning. Actually, during the last years, the number of foreign students choosing to study in this country is rapidly increasing. Even though some years ago, most of the international students were originated from Portuguese speaking countries, comprising its former colonies such as Brazil, Angola, Cape Verde or Mozambique, recently the number of students from other countries is increasing, including from Syria. Characterized by a mild climate, a beautiful seashore and cities packed with historical and cultural interests, this country is a very attractive destination for international students. In this sense, this study explores the beliefs about teaching methodologies that scholars in spatial planning domain can use to guide their practice within Architecture degree, in order to promote de integration of international students. These methodologies are based on the notion that effective teaching is student-centred rather than teacher-centred, in order to achieve a knowledge-centred learning environment framework in terms of spatial planning skills. Thus, this article arises out of a spatial planning unit experience in the Master Degree in Architecture (MIA) course, at the University of Beira Interior (UBI) in Portugal, to understand more about teaching methodologies, in order to promote the integration of international students. The study explores the teamwork tasks and the hetero-evaluation as new approaches in the teaching methodologies focused on the student-centred teaching. This research main conclusion is the need of promoting a shift from lecture-based and teacher-centred practices to student-centred approach.
- Status of Historical Buildings Conservation: ICT Method Results in Caneiras VillagePublication . Virtudes, Ana L.; Almeida, Filipa Alexandra da CostaGood examples of preservation of vernacular architecture buildings are still an exception, whether as iconic and picturesque evocation, translated in a historic revival for tourist attraction, or in museums, neighbourhoods or fishing villages. But, in the majority of the cases, the vernacular architecture of river banks has been subjected to a rapid and significant disappearance, with the irreversible loss of a unique cultural, architectural and environmental legacy, weakening the sense of place, the identity of local communities with their territories and the cultural heritage of the countries. This problem is not an exception in Portugal, where the forgotten heritage comprises historical structures corresponding to wooden stilt-houses, represented in small villages along Tagus river banks. This legacy has its roots in a migratory movement of a fishing community called the Avieiros, started in the 1860s, coming from the central west coast of the Atlantic to along Tagus river. However, the decline of fishing activities, the search for new sources of income, initially in the crops along the fertile region, and later in cities, the vulnerability of wooden buildings, and the absence of spatial planning policies or building preservation guidelines, has led to a decay in their transformation processes with the disappearance or abandonment of almost all these villages and their buildings. Nowadays, there are only five remaining Avieiras villages, which totals less than 90 buildings and about 300 inhabitants so far, Caneiras is the biggest. They are the only existing examples of river bank vernacular architecture in Portugal as urban settlements. Therefore, this article presents the results of an ICT (information and communication technologies) method application to the evaluation of status of wooden still-houses conservation in Caneiras, in order to highlight preservation and enhancement strategies.
- Planning cities with water fronts: an academic international teamPublication . Virtudes, Ana L.; Duarte, Ana; Ledes, Bárbara; Moura, Letícia; Marinho, LucasThe water fronts are sensitive areas, not only in environmental terms but also considering the continuity requirements with cities. Usually the spatial planning rules for the places of contact in between the urban fabric and water are focused on building issues and urban development questions rather than of ecological approaches. In this sense, this article aims to present solutions of rethinking the territories of contact in between cities and water fronts, having as pivotal concern, ecological solutions, friendly to the environment. The presented urban project is a requalification solution in order to promote the urban continuity from the buildings to the water, focused on river activities, sports and the preservation of architectural heritage. The urban project solution has as case study, a small town in the central region of Portugal, which is very well known by its thermal baths, with roman roots. The city of São Pedro do Sul is a very pleasant place for holidays, being visited for those who are looking for improving their health condition going to the Thermal Care Centre, or the contact with nature going to the water front of Vouga river. This is a low-density place, where the majority of constructions are single houses, and the main architectural landmark is the old train station, a building from the 19 th century. Nowadays, there are no more trains arriving to São Pedro do Sul and the train track line is working as an ecological corridor for pedestrians and bicycles. However, besides this effort of improving the local environmental conditions, the contact of the city with the river is yet badly considered. There are still lots of urban voids, buildings in bad status of conservation or a lack of diversity and facilities in functional terms. The urban projects were designed in an academic background, comprising several teams of international students coming from Portugal, Greece, Brazil, Slovakia, Lithuania and Poland. A pioneer teaching methodology was tested at the Urban Planning Unit of the Master Degree in Architecture at the University of Beira Interior, as a result of an agreement with the local authority. The students were organized in groups in order to propose the urban design projects to the Train Station surroundings, ensuring the continuity of the urban fabric with the Vouga water front. The best projects won several pecuniary prizes, sponsored by the city hall, which was a stimulus for students along to the designing process. The conclusions show that the presented solution was concerned with strategies to preserve and to enhance the ecological identity of the place. This article will present the contents, options and solutions of the best urban project, designed by a team of students from Brazil and Portugal considered by the jury as the most ecological proposal, friendly of the natural features.
- Functional diversity as a methodology to rethink housing neighbourhoodsPublication . Virtudes, Ana L.There are many housing neighbourhoods with no functional diversity, where dwellings are the only function of the buildings. Their inhabitants are out during the day, going to their working places and are coming back only in the evening. Therefore, these mono-functional neighbourhoods, at the suburban parts of the cities, present several problematic aspects, such as in security terms. Consequently, good quality requirements of urban life, are difficult to keep. This paper aims to present the results of an urban project, on behalf on the urban planning subject, at the Architecture studies. The case study area is a peripheral neighbourhood, on the outskirts of the Portuguese city of Covilhã, in the Interior region of the country, near to the border with Spain. The presented solutions are focused on the urban continuity as the main feature to be development regarding the urban fabric, based on the functional diversity of the place. They are proposing new green spaces, new squares as meeting public spaces, cycling paths and pedestrian sidewalks with greenery. The low density of buildings is an option in order to keep the local identity in architectural and cultural terms, and sustainable urban environments, where people can meet each other, stay together and organize events for all community.