Ciências e Tecnologia | Artigos em revistas internacionais / Papers in international journals
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Browsing Ciências e Tecnologia | Artigos em revistas internacionais / Papers in international journals by Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) "11:Cidades e Comunidades Sustentáveis"
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- Benchmarking city layouts: a methodological approach and an accessibility comparison between a real city and the garden cityPublication . Monteiro, João Pedro Medina; Sousa, Nuno; Jesus, Eduardo Natividade; Rodrigues, João CoutinhoThis article presents a comparative accessibility study between a real city and its redraft as a Garden City. The benchmarking methodology involves defining and evaluating a location-based accessibility indicator in a GIS environment for the city of Coimbra, Portugal, and for the same city laid out as a Garden City, with the same number of inhabitants, jobs, and similar number of urban facilities. The results are derived as maps and weighted average distances per inhabitant to the facilities and jobs, and show that, for the Garden City, average distances drop to around 500 m for urban facilities and 1500 m for the combination of facilities and jobs, making much of the city accessible by walking and practically the whole of it accessible by cycling, with positive impact on transport sustainability and accessibility equity. The methodology can be extended to other benchmarking indicators and city layouts, and the quantitative results it yields make a valuable contribution to the debate on the ideal layout of cities. Moreover, it gives directions on how to improve real cities to address current and future sustainability concerns.
- Benchmarking real and ideal cities: a multicriteria analysis of city performance based on urban formPublication . Monteiro, João Pedro Medina; Sousa, Nuno; Rodrigues, João Coutinho; Jesus, Eduardo NatividadeThe debate on the ideal urban layout, or form has long been an active topic of research. As cities expand and population demands rise, the quest for efficient and sustainable urban designs gains greater significance, necessitating objective and quantitative evaluation of their performance. This article adds to the debate by presenting a multicriteria analysis of city performance, based on quantitative indicators obtainable from geographic information systems calculations, which focus on sustainability and physical pleasantness issues. Indicator values were derived for a real city, its infill version, and five redrafts as classic city models existing in the literature. The city layouts were then compared using the TOPSIS multicriteria ranking method, results showing a preference for the more compact urban layouts due to the multiple advantages of having shorter distances between supply and demand points. The methodology provides quantitative insights on city performance and efficiency and can be used to compare options for city expansions or major urban regeneration projects.
- Catalogue of Cenozoic echinoid type specimens in the Geological Museum (Lisbon, Portugal)Publication . Pereira, PedroThe present catalogue lists the Cenozoic echinoid type specimens housed in the collections of the Geological Museum (Lisbon, Portugal). This material comprises a total of 69 type specimens (seven holotypes, one paratype, 52 syntypes, two lectotypes, and seven paralectotypes) of fifteen Miocene species from Angola and Portugal. Additionally, it is considered that Echinolampas (Echinolampas) maxima de Loriol, 1896 is a valid species and E. (E.) barcinensis Lambert, 1907 is its junior synonym.
- Challenges ahead for sustainable cities: an urban form and transport system reviewPublication . Medina Monteiro, João Pedro; Sousa, Nuno; Coutinho-Rodrigues, João; Natividade-Jesus, EduardoThis article reviews the critical issues surrounding the development of sustainable urban environments, focusing on the impact of transport and urban form on energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. The aim is to provide an overview of the state-of-the-art on the subject and to unravel what directions the literature suggests for sustainable urban planning. Current research and practices are synthesized, highlighting the interdependence of urban design and transportation systems in achieving sustainability goals. Important dimensions and practices of city planning and transport policies are explored, including urban form, urban sprawl, mixed land use, densification and infill, and urban public spaces, and how these directly influence transport dynamics, including modal choices and energy consumption. Innovative approaches in urban planning, such as transit-oriented development, and technological advancements, such as electric mobility, are also examined and their potential roles in sustainable urban transport. The conclusion underscores the urgency of adopting holistic and adaptable strategies to foster sustainable urban environments, calling for concerted efforts from policymakers, urban planners, and communities. Awareness of the conclusions can help municipal decision-makers in planning their cities for a sustainable future. Finally, the authors analyze important directions for future research and practical applications towards developing cities that are environmentally sound, socially equitable, and economically viable.
- Do people adapt to where they live?: a comparative analysis of perceived physical urban pleasantness using a quantitative modelPublication . Medina Monteiro, João Pedro; Sousa, Nuno; Jesus, Eduardo Natividade; Rodrigues, João Coutinho; Oliveira, Leise Kelli; Santos, Patrícia da SilvaThis article examines the question of whether people perceive their own urban environment more favourably than people from other urban environments, i.e., whether residents, in a sense, adapt to where they live. To analyse this question, a quantitative statistical model that uses geometric and land use elements was applied to a case study of Belo Horizonte, Brazil, to estimate the perception of physical pleasantness of the urban environment using two calibrations: a global one and one obtained from a survey carried out in Belo Horizonte. The article then contrasts findings specific to Belo Horizonte with global perceptions, highlighting that local residents tend to evaluate their city's geometry and land use more positively than a worldwide audience. This difference suggests that familiarity and acclimatisation to the urban environment can significantly influence residents’ perceptions of their physical living environment.
- Do we live where it is pleasant?: correlates of perceived pleasantness with socioeconomic variablesPublication . Monteiro, João Pedro Medina; Carrilho, Ana Clara; Sousa, Nuno; Oliveira, Leise Kelli; Jesus, Eduardo Natividade; Rodrigues, João CoutinhoLiving in urban areas is the wish of many people. However, with population growth in those areas, quality of life has become a concerning element for achieving sustainable cities. Because quality of life is influenced by the built environment, the state of the latter is a fundamental issue for public policies. This research expands on previous research on the perceived pleasantness of built environments by presenting a large-scale case study of the urban layout pleasantness in the central area of Belo Horizonte, Brazil, a typical global south city, and correlating pleasantness scores with socioeconomic factors to understand whether people do in fact live where the urban layout is more pleasant and how pleasantness and socioeconomic factors relate and contribute to one’s choice of living location. A comparison with the city of Coimbra, Portugal, representative of the global north, was also carried out. The findings showed that pleasantness tended to correlate negatively with urban density and positively with income. Possible explanations for these results and their generality are advanced.
- Environmental and sustainability impact assessment in small islands : the case of Azores and MadeiraPublication . Ramos, Tomás B.; Caeiro, Sandra; Douglas, Calbert H.; Ochieng, CockerThis paper compares Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) practices and effectiveness in the Portuguese islands of the Azores and Madeira. This was accomplished by qualitative appraisal and evaluation of the contents of EIA statements and the characterisation of the EIA practices. Data was collected from the islands’ regional environmental agencies and from the Environmental Portuguese Agency internet database. The findings reveal that most EIA project practitioners and consultants in the islands are associated with the regional government agencies. Proposals were generally approved with ‘conditions’ and the diversity of project types were lower in the islands than in the mainland. There was limited follow-up on the EIA process so that evaluation of conditions compliance was scanty. Key areas identified for consideration in the development of good impact assessment practice in the islands included, the Islands’ unique geographical and ecological characteristics, scale effects, intra-insular regional dimension, impact significance evaluation approaches, and training, education and development skills in EIA processes.
- Filling in the spaces: compactifying cities towards accessibility and active transportPublication . Monteiro, João Pedro Medina; Para, Marvin; Sousa, Nuno; Jesus, Eduardo Natividade; Ostorero, Carlo; Rodrigues, João CoutinhoCompactification of cities, i.e., the opposite of urban sprawl, has been increasingly presented in the literature as a possible solution to reduce the carbon footprint and promote the sustainability of current urban environments. Compact environments have higher concentrations of interaction opportunities, smaller distances to them, and the potential for increased active mode shares, leading to less transport-related energy consumption and associated emissions. This article presents a GIS- based quantitative methodology to estimate on how much can be gained in that respect if vacant spaces within a city were urbanized, according to the municipal master plan, using four indicators: accessibility, active modal share, transport energy consumption, and a 15-minute city analysis. The methodology is applied to a case study, in which the city of Coimbra, Portugal, and a compact version of itself are compared. Results show the compact layout improves all indicators, with averages per inhabitant improving by 20% to 92%, depending on the scenario assumed for cycling, and is more equitable.
- A multicriteria methodology for estimating consumer acceptance of alternative powertrain technologiesPublication . Sousa, Nuno; Almeida, Arminda; Rodrigues, João CoutinhoA multicriteria methodology for estimating consumer acceptance of vehicles with alternative powertrain technologies is presented. The approach is based on the non-compensatory ELECTRE TRI method and compares hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and electric vehicles to conventional models. Criteria considered are ownership costs and restrictions to vehicle use, which apply mainly to electric vehicles. The methodology is applied to a case study of 94 vehicles of different market segments and alternative powertrains. The analysis is carried out per segment and considers two driver profiles, city and all-purpose, and a baseline scenario for all cases. Output is tested for statistical significance, with powertrain technology as disaggregating factor, and a sensitivity analysis on the base scenario is also carried out, as well as a comparison with results derived by a compensatory multicriteria method (TOPSIS). Results show that conventional vehicles are the top choice for the small vehicles segment, due to lower purchase prices and higher use flexibility. For medium sized vehicles, all powertrain technologies are competitive for city drivers, whereas for all-purpose drivers, use restrictions for electric vehicles make these less attractive. The baseline scenario and sensitivity analysis highlight that opting for an electric vehicle depends strongly on the driver's use flexibility needs. As such, an electric vehicle can be either very attractive or outright unusable, regardless of financial considerations. It is also seen that plug-in hybrids do not present any significant advantage, as compared to other, non-electric choices, due to their higher purchase prices.
- A multicriteria methodology for maintenance planning of cycling infrastructurePublication . Pais, Filipe; Monteiro, João Pedro Medina; Sousa, Nuno; Coutinho, João; Jesus, Eduardo NatividadeThe importance of cycling as a sustainable mode has been widely recognized and, recently, its effectiveness in mitigating the spread of infectious diseases has also been under the spotlight. Fostering its use requires developing and deploying decision tools to help authorities assess the performance of their cycle infrastructure for maintenance and improvements. This article presents a multicriteria methodology based on engineering best practices and uses the ELECTRE TRI method to assign segments of the cycling network to predefined performance classes, with an aim at maintenance planning. The approach is demonstrated with a case study, which also proves scalability of the method’s data collection procedure. Case study results show that lack of safety and inadequate intersections are the main problems. These stem mostly from non-existent segregation between motorized traffic and cyclists, both along the segments and at intersections. This is typical of cities which, over the years, have prioritized motorized transportation.