Globalisation process, urban and regional dynamics in Portugal

The globalisation process has been changing the Portuguese productive structure but also the urban and regional economic geography, phenomenon particularly important after Portuguese integration in the European Community in 1986. The increase of foreign direct investment (FDI), the growth of the service sector, the industrial restructuring and the change of exports constitute the main economic effects of globalisation in Portugal. In the present paper we will present a brief empirical analysis of these recent trends and their urban and regional dynamics.N/

Acessibilidade à rede de serviços de urgência em territórios de baixa densidade: o caso do Baixo Alentejo, Portugal

Access to health care is a sensitive issue in low population density territories, as these areas tend to have a lower level of service provision. One dimension of access is accessibility. This paper focuses on measuring the accessibility to urgent and emergency care services in the Portuguese region of Baixo Alentejo, a territory characterized by low population density. Data for the calculation of accessibility is the road network, and the methodology considers the application of a two-level network analyst method: time-distance by own mean (car or taxi) to the urgent care services and the time distance to emergency services as a way to get assistance and to go to urgent care services. While urgent care accessibility meets the requirements stipulated in the Integrated Medical Emergency System’s current legislative framework, the simulation of different scenarios of potential accessibility shows intra-regional disparities. Some territories have a low level of accessibility. Older adults, the poorly educated, and low-income population, also have the lowest levels of accessibility, which translates into dually disadvantageous situation since the potential users of emergency services are most likely to belong to this group of citizens.Em territórios de baixa densidade populacional, o acesso aos cuidados de saúde é uma questão delicada, pois essas áreas tendem a ter um nível mais baixo de prestação de serviços. Uma dimensão do acesso é a medição da acessibilidade. Este artigo tem como propósito medir a acessibilidade aos serviços de urgência e aos meios de emergência médica na região portuguesa do Baixo Alentejo, território caracterizado por uma baixa densidade populacional. A metodologia considera o método network analyst aplicado à rede viária, em dois níveis: o cálculo da distância-tempo aos serviços de urgência usando modo próprio (carro ou táxi); e o cálculo da distância-tempo recorrendo aos meios de socorro e emergência como forma de aceder aos serviços de urgência. Embora se considere que a acessibilidade às urgências atende ao atual quadro legislativo do Sistema Integrado de Emergência Médica, a simulação de diferentes cenários no Baixo Alentejo mostra a existência de disparidades intra-regionais no que se refere à acessibilidade aos serviços de urgência. Verifica-se que é a população idosa, de baixa instrução e residente em zonas com baixa densidade populacional quem apresenta menores índices de acessibilidade, o que traduz uma situação duplamente desvantajosa, uma vez que estes são os maiores utilizadores destes serviços.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

From Livable Communities to Livable Metropolis: Challenges for Urban Mobility in Lisbon Metropolitan Area (Portugal)

Urban mobility plays an important role in addressing urban livability. The complexification and dispersion of travel due to the improvement of transport and the multiplication of our daily living places underline the relevance of multilevel territorial planning, recognizing that the knowledge of local differences is essential for more effective urban policies. This paper aims (1) to comprehend conceptually how urban mobility contributes to the urban livability from the local to metropolitan level and (2) to assess the previous relation toward a livable metropolis based on the readily available statistics for the Lisbon Metropolitan Area. Hence, a triangulation between conceptual, political/operative, and quantitative/monitoring approaches is required. The methodology follows four steps: (1) literature review focusing on the quantification of urban mobility within the urban livability approach; (2) data collection from the Portuguese statistics system; (3) data analysis and results, using principal component analysis (PCA) followed by cluster analysis (CA); (4) discussion and conclusions. In Portugal, although it is implicit, consistency is evident between the premises of recent urban mobility policies and respective planning instruments, such as the Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans (SUMP), and the premises of urban livability as an urban movement. Focusing on the national statistics system, the available indicators that meet our quality criteria are scarce and represent a reduced number of domains. Even so, they allow identifying intra-metropolitan differences in the Lisbon Metropolitan Area (LMA) that could support multilevel planning instruments. The results identified five principal components related to commuting at the local and intermunicipal level, including car use as well as social and environmental externalities, and they reorganized the 18 LMA municipalities into eight groups, clearly isolating Lisbon, the capital, from the others. The identification of sensitive territories and respective problems based on urban livability principles is fundamental for an effective urban planning from livable communities to livable metropolis.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Metodologia de análise das dinâmicas do uso e cobertura da terra: o caso do estado de Santa Catarina - Brasil entre 2000 e 2010

The aim of this paper is to examine land use and land cover changes and to relate it to the potential driving forces observed in the state of Santa Catarina, Brazil, during the period from 2000 to 2010. The methodology consists of identifying trends in land use and land cover changes; indicating possible explanatory factors by means of Principal Component Factor Analysis and elaborating a final typology, based on Cluster Analysis. Results point to the considerable expansion and increased intensity of agricultural activity as well as silviculture throughout the state and the loss of native vegetation, suggesting the need for protective actions and land use and cover regulations, particularly from an environmental perspective, to frame the development of intensive and mechanized agricultural activity.Este artigo objetiva verificar a dinâmica do uso e cobertura da terra e relacioná-la com potenciais forças motrizes dessa dinâmica no estado de Santa Catarina, Brasil, para o período de 2000 a 2010. A metodologia consiste na identificação de tendências na dinâmica de uso e cobertura da terra; apontar possíveis fatores explicativos com base na análise fatorial por componentes principais e na elaboração de uma tipologia final, baseada na análise de clusters. Como resultados, nota-se uma forte expansão e fortalecimento da atividade agropecuária e da silvicultura pelo estado, e perda da vegetação nativa, o que aponta para a necessidade de desenvolver medidas de proteção e de regulamentação da cobertura e uso da terra nomeadamente na vertente ambiental, enquadrando o desenvolvimento de uma atividade agropecuária intensiva e mecanizada.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

URBACT Health & Greenspace network. Health-responsive planning and management of urban green infrastructure

In 2017, WHO presented eight classes of green spaces: roadside greenery and other vegetation barriers that could be found along streets or rail tracks; small urban green spaces (such as gardens or pocket parks) and playgrounds; green roofs and facades; parks and urban meadows; greenways and corridors (such as green trails for walking/cycling); green with blue spaces (that could be found in coastal, riverside or lakeside trails); recreational and urban gardening facilities (such as community gardens, sport and play areas and school grounds); and finally the facilitated access to urban woodlands, forests and natural wildlife areas.2 A set of dimensions could characterise green spaces; their location, distance to users, size, quality and security, all aspects that could be aggregated in an “availability and accessibility” dimension. Besides, there are also aspects related with landscape quality and the user’s perception, designated as “aesthetic” dimension, that include aspects like the type of services provided by green spaces and the possibilities of management of these spaces.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

“Geographies” of primary healthcare access for older adults in the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, Portugal: a territory of differences1

Vários autores têm refletido sobre a questão do acesso aos serviços de saúde, considerando a existência de várias dimensões, nas quais se inclui a disponibilidade e a acessibilidade. No contexto de envelhecimento que caracteriza as sociedades, a população idosa precisa de mais cuidados de saúde, e a acessibilidade a essas unidades assume importância acrescida. O objetivo do estudo é caracterizar o acesso da população idosa aos serviços de saúde, confrontando as possibilidades decorrentes da oferta de serviços com os padrões de procura. Do confronto entre oferta e procura resulta a possibilidade de identificar as dinâmicas intrarregionais e associá-las às diferentes condições socioeconômicas dos idosos, ao seu enquadramento familiar, modo de transporte e tipo de serviço. Esta abordagem considera duas fases metodológicas: o cálculo do potencial de cobertura populacional das unidades de cuidados primários, considerando a acessibilidade física recorrendo aos modos pedonal e rodoviário; e o confronto desses valores com a procura dos serviços, determinada a partir de inquéritos realizados aos residentes. Concluiu-se que, apesar dos equipamentos de saúde prestadores de cuidados primários terem sido programados como serviço de proximidade, a forma de prestação do serviço, as características socioeconômicas da população idosa e o modelo de urbanização apontam para diferenças relevantes no contexto da Área Metropolitana de Lisboa.Several authors have reflected upon access to health services considering several dimensions, such as availability and accessibility. Due to the aging of societies, the older population’s demands for healthcare increase, and accessibility to these units acquires special importance. Our study aims to characterize the access of older people to healthcare services, facing the possibilities arising from service supply and demand patters. From the supply and demand confrontation, comes the possibility of identifying intraregional dynamics and associating them with the various socioeconomic conditions of older people, family background, modes of transportation, and type of service. This approach considers two methodological phases: calculating the potential for primary healthcare coverage, considering physical accessibility for pedestrian and highway modes; and confronting these values with services demand, determined from surveys conducted with residents. We concluded that, although healthcare centers were designed as a proximity service, service provision, socioeconomic aspects, and the urbanization model entail meaningful inequalities of access in the context of the Lisbon Metropolitan Area.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The Covid-19 pandemic process in Mainland Portugal: a geographical analysis of the first 100 days

A difusão espacial do vírus SARS-CoV-2 vem destacar a importância da geografia na interpretação deste fenómeno. O presente artigo tem como objetivo identificar as dinâmicas de propagação da COVID-19 em Portugal Continental, à escala do concelho entre março e junho de 2020, nas suas relações com os perfis demográfico e socioeconómico dos territórios. O processo de difusão iniciou-se nas áreas urbanas mais densas, seguindo-se as áreas de fronteira e, posteriormente, propagou-se aos territórios de menor densidade demográfica e mais envelhecida. A tendência mais recente, mostra uma retoma de importância das áreas urbanas de maior densidade associada aos grupos socioeconómicos mais vulneráveis concentrados na região funcional de Lisboa.The spatial diffusion of SARS-CoV-2 highlights the importance of geography in the interpretation of these phenomena. This article aims to identify the spread dynamics of COVID-19 in Mainland Portugal, at the municipal level, between March and June, and its relation with demographic and socio-economic factors. The diffusion process started in more populated and economically active areas, following the frontier areas, and later, it spread to lower density and ageing territories. The most recent trend shows a resumption of the importance of dense urban areas associated with the most vulnerable socio-economic groups concentrated in the functional Lisbon region.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Mobility and Dissemination of COVID-19 in Portugal: Correlations and Estimates from Google’s Mobility Data

The spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has important links with population mobility. Social interaction is a known determinant of human-to-human transmission of infectious diseases and, in turn, population mobility as a proxy of interaction is of paramount importance to analyze COVID-19 diffusion. Using mobility data from Google’s Community Reports, this paper captures the association between changes in mobility patterns through time and the corresponding COVID-19 incidence at a multi-scalar approach applied to mainland Portugal. Results demonstrate a strong relationship between mobility data and COVID-19 incidence, suggesting that more mobility is associated with more COVID-19 cases. Methodological procedures can be summarized in a multiple linear regression with a time moving window. Model validation demonstrate good forecast accuracy, particularly when we consider the cumulative number of cases. Based on this premise, it is possible to estimate and predict future evolution of the number of COVID-19 cases using near real-time information of population mobilityinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

A pandemia COVID-19 em Portugal Continental: uma análise geográfica da evolução verificada nos meses de Março e Abril

O processo de difusão do vírus pelos vários países e regiões do mundo, vem destacar a importância da geografia na interpretação dos fenómenos. O presente artigo tem como objetivo identificar a evolução concelhia da propagação do vírus COVID-19, no período compreendido entre março e abril em Portugal Continental, procurando relacionar esse padrão com as características demográficas e socioeconómicas do território continental português. O processo de difusão iniciou-se pelas áreas urbanas mais densas, seguindo as áreas de fronteira e posteriormente, propagou-se aos territórios de população envelhecida e menor densidade demográfica.The process of spreading the virus across countries and regions around the world, highlights the importance of geography in interpreting the phenomena. This article aims to identify the evolution of the phenomena in Portugal, between March and April, seeking to relate this pattern to the demographic and socio-economic characteristics of the territory. The diffusion process starts by the metro areas and other densely urbanised territories, follows to boarder areas and finally went to ageing and less dense territories.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Medium-sized cities: how to define them

O conceito de cidade média surge pela primeira vez referenciado em França, em finais dos anos sessenta, quando se preparava o VI Plano de Desenvolvimento Económico e Social (1971-76). Contudo, muitos dos princípios e critérios associados à sua definição estiveram presentes no pensamento de técnicos e políticos, bem como nas várias intervenções urbanísticas até então desenvolvidas. Com a crise dos anos setenta, as cidades médias, aproveitando os seus recursos e potencialidades, surgem como alternativas às grandes cidades em crise e reforçam a sua posição nos sistemas urbanos regionais. A segunda metade dos anos oitenta constitui outro marco para as cidades médias. A crescente internacionalização da economia e o aumento da competitividade deram lugar a um novo quadro de relações, onde as cidades médias passam a desempenhar papéis distintos dos anteriores. Surge o conceito de cidade intermédia, conceito que tem por base os pressupostos que definem «meio inovador» ou «território rede». Com os anos noventa emerge a noção de cidade sustentável, que conferiu às cidades médias um novo quadro de potencialidades mas, também, de exigências face a um sistema económico cada vez mais competitivo e globalizado, dando lugar a novas formas de exclusão económica, social e cultural, particularmente visíveis nas cidades médias localizadas em regiões deprimidas. O presente artigo procura, assim, reflectir sobre as dificuldades de definir «cidade média» e a forma como o conceito tem evoluído, respondendo às transformações ocorridas no sistema produtivo e sócio-territorial europeu.The concept of medium-sized city was first referred to in France at the end of the 1960s when the 6th Economic and Social Development Policy was under preparation (1971-76). Nonetheless, many of the principles and criteria associated with it had already been borne in the mind of the experts in this field and politicians as well as in the urbanism hitherto developed. With the 1970s crisis, medium-sized cities, due to their resources and potential, emerged as an alternative to large cities then undergoing a crisis and reinforced their place in regional urban systems. The second half of the 1980s was also important for medium-sized cities. The growing internationalization of the economy and increasing competitiveness led to a new framework of relations in which medium-sized cities began to play a different role. The concept of intermediary city emerged, based on what defines «innovative milieu» or «network territory». In the 1990s, the idea of the sustainable city emerged to offer medium-sized cities a new framework of possibilities as well as demands faced with an increasingly competitive and globalize economy which has led to new forms of economic, social and cultural exclusion, especially noticeable in small cities in depressed areas. The aim of this paper is to reflect on the difficulty of reaching a definition of «medium-sized city» and the manner in which the concept has evolved as it responds to the transformations within the European productive and socio-territorial system.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio