Post-industrial landscapes as renaissance locus: the case study research method

The fact that several countries are now facing various problems produced by landscapes constructed during the modem period [e.g. industrial revolution], currently in complete physical and functional decadency, contributed to enlarge the negative public perception about these spaces. However, this perception associated with the need to protect the environment has been in the last decades the catalyst to the redevelopment and renaissance of these landscapes. Often in advantageous locations near city centres, situated along waterways, supported by existing infrastructure, and adjacent to residential communities, these landscapes are environmentally impaired assets that need to be returned to productive uses, and reintegrated into the surrounding community. The reclamation and conservation of these landscapes constitute, additionally, an important cultural objective, which is inherently sustainable in that it encourages the positive re-use of redundant buildings that are part of our industrial and commercial heritage. This paper addresses the urgent need to reclaim these landscapes, influenced both by two different tendencies connected with the abandonment of industrial landscapes: on the one hand, the urban pressure related to the city's administration and stakeholders' will to urbanize those areas and on the other hand, the increasingly public awareness of the necessity to protect industrial heritage. This paper presents an approach based on the case study research method. This approach and the way it is applied in this paper may be empirically described as the research and analysis of several successful post-industrial landscape reclamation design approaches, in order to build a set of design principles that might inform and serve as a basis to the redevelopment of similar landscapes

Cross-border cooperation (CBC) in Southern Europe-An iberian case study. The eurocity Elvas-Badajoz

The experiences of cross-border cooperation (CBC), undertaken not only in Europe but throughout the world, have enabled areas to gain greater importance in recent decades at an international level, showing potential for integrative functions and joint development as exemplified by several CBC projects. The present paper assesses the impact of CBC projects by analyzing a protocol established in 2013 between the cities of Elvas and Badajoz, which induced the creation of the Eurocity Elvas-Badajoz. The paper kicks off with a critical review on territorial factors for success in CBC areas, considering the analysis of several case studies throughout Europe. The lessons learned, taken from the analyzed case studies, and the identified territorial success factors were used as assessment points for the investigation of the target study area, the Eurocity Elvas-Badajoz. The investigation explores public participation perceptions towards the identification of what changes with respect to standards of life with the CBC project, providing the current state of affairs and identifying where to place efforts in order to reach sustainable development for the region. While being a transition area, it presents several opportunities for growth. These opportunities have not yet been object of analysis and debate with respect to lasting, sustainable successful growth. The present research enables the identification of several territorial factors for success in the study area, such as the connectivity/movement between cities and strong political commitment. From the identified critical factors, it was possible to highlight the importance of public transportation as a priority for achieving success in this CBC project.National Funds - FCT-Foundation for Science and Technology [UID/SOC/04020/2013

Landscape valuation of environmental amenities throughout the application of direct and indirect methods

Landscape design, construction and management should no longer be the result of superficial approaches based exclusively on designers’ and planners’ ideas. This research starts with the assumption that the aesthetic component constitutes an essential attribute for better understanding and evaluating landscapes. This study analyzes the aesthetic quality and economic valuation of the Lower Guadiana river landscape, through the application of direct and indirect landscape evaluation methods. In order to gauge not only experts’ opinion, it is supported by the application of public participation techniques about the opinion and perceptions of the site visitors/users. The present research considered the analysis of six landscape subunits regarding landscape quality, fragility and visual absorption capacity. The obtained results showed that there are significant differences between the perceptions of the general public and experts’ analysis. Touristic Complexes and Golf Courses had high visual quality, while Agricultural and Production Areas had high visual fragility. Moreover, the performed analysis made clear that the combined use of landscape assessment methods is suited to this type of study, since it enables quantifying the value of existence, management and maintenance of a particular environmental assets and/or services.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

An Econophysics Study of the S&P Global Clean Energy Index

N/

Inland or Coastal: That s the Question! Different Impacts of COVID-19 on the Tourism Sector in Portugal

The COVID-19 pandemic had severe implications in different economic sectors, among them tourism, with countries where tourism has a relevant economic role, such as Portugal, being greatly affected. However, the impact was different in the various regions of the country, which could be related to some tourism units, being more isolated or with fewer rooms, being seen as more attractive and safer. Based on data from Portuguese firms, and distinguishing their location between coastal and inland, it is possible to conclude that inland tourism units were less affected than coastal ones, which could be related to tourists seeking less densely populated areas, a relevant conclusion for the different agents.N/

Sustainable reclamation of industrial areas in urban landscapes

During the second half of the twentieth century a widespread crisis of numerous industrial sectors contributed to the appearance of derelict industrial areas. In this perspective the recycling of derelict industrial areas is indispensable for sustainable city development in the optic of recovery and conservation of our industrial heritage. The transformation of derelict industrial sites into public spaces represents a significant enhancement to the quality of life and land use, and at the same time marks a new commitment to the transformation of once-industrial sites to new cultural and environmental uses. This requires a new planning approach based on knowledge, new technologies and collaborative design. The present study evaluates three design strategies that might be used to reclaim derelict sites in urban areas transforming them for the society and the environment. Each is strategy related to different landscape characters: the heritage, the environmental and the socio-cultural character. The objective of the present work was to analyse those design strategies used in the reclamation of derelict industrial areas using three representative different case studies: Duisburg Nord, Fresh Kills and Downsview Park. In those projects it was found that the design strategies adopted minimize the environmental impact assuring a harmonious reclamation of the natural and built environments. Landscape architects such as Peter Latz, James Corner and Bruce Mau, have shown how to create culturally stimulating landscapes with a large variety of uses and activities arising out of the derelict remains of past industry

Avaliação do impacto da intensificação agroecológica e da agricultura de precisão nos serviços ecossistémicos em paisagens agrícolas mediterrânicas

Estudos recentes prevêem que a população humana atinja os 9 bilhões de pessoas em aproximadamente 30 anos. A necessidade de produção de alimentos inerente a este cenário, associada ao progressivo aumento da taxa de declínio das espécies, que atingiu nos últimos anos níveis sem precedentes, representam um desafio extremamente difícil para o futuro da agricultura. Este desafio, não sendo novo, não é obviamente alheio à necessidade de produzir mais e melhores alimentos em menos espaço, com respeito pela natureza e pelo ambiente. Neste panorama, prevê-se que a intensificação agroecológica (IAE) possa constituir, em associação com a implementação de sistemas de gestão ligados à agricultura de precisão (AP), uma importante estratégia com vista não só à integração de princípios ecológicos específicos no sector agrícola, mas também de implementação de procedimentos de gestão da biodiversidade em sistemas agrícolas, minimizando entre outros aspetos o consumo de água e de agroquímicos, e maximizando os rendimentos através da utilização conjunta de práticas de natureza ecológica e de novas tecnologias. Esses fatos, conjugados com a necessidade de produzir alimentos de forma cada vez mais sustentável, não só em termos de eficiência das culturas, mas também em termos de uso do solo e da conservação da biodiversidade, destacam a necessidade de avaliar o impacto de diferentes sistemas produtivos no ambiente. A este respeito, o objetivo central deste trabalho é apresentar, descrever e contribuir para a divulgação de dados concretos inerentes ao processo de intensificação agroecológica (IAE) em associação com a agricultura de precisão (AP), junto dos principais stakeholders com atuação no sector agrícola, considerando não só a forma como as diferentes tipologias e intensidades culturais inerentes a cada processo de gestão agrícola, influenciam os serviços ecossistémicos (SE) por estes desenvolvidos quer localmente, quer ao nível dos agroecossistemas Mediterrânicos. Considerando este objetivo, a análise contemplou a comparação dos serviços ecossistémicos concedidos pêlos sistemas agrícolas tradicionais versus os associados à intensificação agroecológica e à agricultura de precisão. Os dados obtidos, tendo por base um processo de revisão, permitiram identificar a IAE como uma opção viável ao nível da sustentabilidade dos sistemas agrícolas, com vista ao incremento da produtividade, garantindo inclusivamente o reforço dos serviços ecossistémicos associados a estes sistemas, contribuindo ainda para a redução das externalidades negativas associadas a este setor. A análise realizada, pode, se devidamente enquadrada, contribuir de forma direta para o processo de decisão referente à conversão dos sistemas de produção agrícola, considerando por um lado o aumento do rendimento das culturas e por outro a garantia da manutenção e/ou incremento dos serviços ecossistémicos que lhe são inerentes.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Assessing the effectiveness of precision agriculture management systems in mediterranean small farms

While the world population continues to grow, increasing the need to produce more and better-quality food, climate change, urban growth and unsustainable agricultural practices accelerate the loss of available arable land, compromising the sustainability of agricultural lands both in terms of productivity and environmental resilience, and causing serious problems for the production-consumption balance. This scenario highlights the urgent need for agricultural modernization as a crucial step to face forthcoming di culties. Precision agriculture techniques appear as a feasible option to help solve these problems. However, their use needs to be reinvented and tested according to di erent parameters, in order to define both the environmental and the economic impact of these new technologies not only on agricultural production, but also on agricultural sustainability. This paper intends, therefore, to contribute to a better understanding of the impact of precision agriculture through the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV)/remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS) and normalized di erence vegetation index (NDVI) techniques in small Mediterranean farms. We present specific data obtained through the application of the aforementioned techniques in three farms located along the Portuguese-Spanish border, considering three parameters (seeding failure, di erentiated irrigation and di erentiated fertilization) in order to determine not only the ecological benefits of these methods, but also their economic and productivity aspects. The obtained results, based on these methods, highlight the fact that an e cient combination of UAV/RPAS and NDVI techniques allows for important economic savings in productivity factors, thus promoting a sustainable agriculture both in ecological and economic terms. Additionally, contrary to what is generally defended, even in small farms, as the ones assessed in this study (less than 50 ha), the costs associated with the application of the aforementioned precision agriculture processes are largely surpassed by the economic gains achieved with their application, regardless of the notorious environmental benefits introduced by the reduction of crucial production inputs as water and fertilizers.FCT (VALORIZA)info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio