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  • Preferências e políticas na implementação da cidade dos 15 minutos: uma análise preliminar
    Publication . Sousa, Nuno
    A cidade dos 15 minutos é um conceito de planeamento urbano que defende a distribuição dos equipamentos urbanos de forma que estejam, no máximo, a 15 minutos a pé ou de bicicleta das residências de quem os usa. Este conceito tem ganho popularidade entre os decisores políticos como uma possível solução de sustentabilidade no que toca à mobilidade e vitalidade urbanas. No entanto, a sua implementação prática esbarra na dificuldade das cidades em se reordenarem. Torna-se assim crucial saber quais são os tipos de equipamento a que as pessoas dão mais importância terem na sua vizinhança, para que os decisores e as populações possam concentrar esforços no sentido de os providenciar. Este artigo apresenta uma análise exploratória, baseada em questionários online à população, que pretende identificar os tipos de equipamento prioritários neste contexto e tirar conclusões dessas prioridades para as políticas públicas. Os resultados revelam uma tendência geral para valorizar serviços de bem-estar e conveniência, mas também que as preferências variam com as caraterísticas sociodemográficas da população, sugerindo que as políticas de implementação devam contar com a participação da população.
  • The potential impact of cycling on urban transport energy and modal share: a GIS-based methodology
    Publication . Monteiro, João Pedro Medina; Sousa, Nuno; Jesus, Eduardo Natividade; Rodrigues, João Coutinho
    This article presents a methodology to estimate the maximum potential impact of a well- built and conserved cycling infrastructure, measured as modal share for accessibility trips, as well as the associated transport energy that can be saved in those trips. The methodology uses Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to estimate active trip probabilities, from which the output variables can be obtained. It was applied to a case study of a mid-sized city in Southern Europe, and results show that an adequate cycling infrastructure can achieve cycling mode share in that city on par with the world’s most cycling-friendly cities. Concerning transport energy, a full-cycling scenario is estimated to reduce fossil energy intensity by approximately 20%, mainly by inducing a mode change for residents on the closest outskirts. It is also argued that cycling investment in commuting routes will have the most impact on reducing fossil transport energy.
  • Challenges ahead for sustainable cities: an urban form and transport system review
    Publication . Medina Monteiro, João Pedro; Sousa, Nuno; Coutinho-Rodrigues, João; Natividade-Jesus, Eduardo
    This 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.
  • Benchmarking city layouts: a methodological approach and an accessibility comparison between a real city and the garden city
    Publication . Monteiro, João Pedro Medina; Sousa, Nuno; Jesus, Eduardo Natividade; Rodrigues, João Coutinho
    This 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.
  • Tools for educational content preparation and delivery
    Publication . Bidarra, José; Rocio, Vitor; Sousa, Nuno; Rodrigues, João Coutinho
  • Implementing mobile learning within personal learning environments: a study of two online courses
    Publication . Bidarra, José; Sousa, Nuno
    This article presents a case-study of two distance learning courses, in order to address the question of universal adoption of mobile devices and applications by students, and the impact of these devices in personal learning environments (PLEs). First, a critical discussion of the value of these concepts in the current technological context was carried out, followed by an analysis of their impact on educational use, based on data collected in online courses on physics and statistics at Universidade Aberta, the Portuguese Open University. The results indicated that all students have adopted mobile learning, and the make-up of an individual’s PLE depends more on the learning resources available rather than on gender or age. These findings can help provide more efficient ways to implement learning by connecting current social needs to learners’ mobile PLEs, particularly when flexibility of time and space are of utmost importance. Further studies at the Portuguese Open University will address a larger and more balanced sample of students across more course units.
  • Mecânica: marcação de pares: ação-reação
    Publication . Sousa, Nuno
    Vídeo exemplificativo da marcação de pares de forças ação-reação em casos simples.
  • Do we live where it is pleasant?: correlates of perceived pleasantness with socioeconomic variables
    Publication . Monteiro, João Pedro Medina; Carrilho, Ana Clara; Sousa, Nuno; Oliveira, Leise Kelli; Jesus, Eduardo Natividade; Rodrigues, João Coutinho
    Living 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.
  • Filling in the spaces: compactifying cities towards accessibility and active transport
    Publication . Monteiro, João Pedro Medina; Para, Marvin; Sousa, Nuno; Jesus, Eduardo Natividade; Ostorero, Carlo; Rodrigues, João Coutinho
    Compactification 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.
  • Planning cities for pandemics: review of urban and transport planning lessons from COVID-19
    Publication . Monteiro, João Pedro Medina; Sousa, Nuno; Pais, Filipe; Rodrigues, João Coutinho; Jesus, Eduardo Natividade
    For the past few years, the world has been facing one of the worst pandemics of modern times. The COVID-19 outbreak joined a long list of infectious diseases that turned pandemic, and it will most likely leave scars and change how humans live, plan and manage urban space and its infrastructures. Many fields of science were called into action to mitigate the impacts of this pandemic, including spatial and transport planning. Given the large number of papers recently published in these research areas, it is time to carry out an overview of the knowledge produced, and synthesising, systematising and critically analysing it. This paper aims to review how the urban layout, accessibility and mobility influence the spread of a virus in an urban environment and what solutions exist or have been proposed to create a more effective and less intrusive response to pandemics. This review is split into two avenues of research: spatial planning and transport planning, including the direct and indirect impact on the environment and sustainability.