CIDADES, Comunidades e Territórios

Student accommodation crisis in Portugal: Analysis of public opinion on social networks

Daniela Sofia Neto — 2024-07-29

Student accommodation has not been left out of the housing crisis that is affecting the country. The start of the 2022/2023 academic year saw difficulties in accessing student accommodation arising due to the significant decrease in private accommodation available for rent and the increase in rent values. With the aim of identifying lay theories about the problem and about the proposals presented by political parties and student associations for its resolution, an exploratory study was carried out based on the identification of news on the subject and the analysis of comments published on them in social media. The results of the thematic analysis carried out on the 2312 comments published between September and December 2022 show that this is a recurring problem that is worsening due to the insufficiency of the existing public offer. Results highlight structural causes, such as the functioning of the market and the role of the State, but also contextual causes such as touristification and the attraction of foreign students and residents. The results also show a polarization of positions, namely through the mobilization of negative stereotypes. It concludes highlighting the importance of articulating the different public polices and discussing the relationship between the student accommodation crisis and the housing crisis that the country is experiencing in the reproduction of social inequalities.

Consumption, use and disposal patterns of electric devices among university students in Mar del Plata, Argentina

Greta Clinckspoor — 2024-07-29

The production of electronic devices, based on the exploitation of non-renewable resources, requires novel strategies for the efficient recovery of valuable materials contained in the e-waste stream. To conceive the local management of these particular
resources in a decentralized way, the patterns of consumption, use and disposal of electronic devices were analyzed in a higherlevel educational institution, the National University of Mar del Plata in Argentina, considered as a Distinctive Urban Mine (DUM).
A quantitative methodology was developed by distributing a self-administered survey on a sample of 400 university students, statistically distributed among the different faculties. The instrument was divided into the stages that condition the postconsumption paths of electronic waste in Mar del Plata city. Each phase – consumption, use and disposal of electronic devices – was analyzed based on the variables of habits, information and valorization. The main results highlight the socio-cultural factors that characterize this particular DUM as replacement cycles of electronic devices, estimated between two to four years, in relation to the lack of maintenance, and valorization in terms of price and
durability. It is the first study that makes a contribution on e-waste based on quantitative data on the territory of Mar del Plata.
The conclusions emphasize the correlations between stages, which can be effectively measured and conducted to improve the
variables to manage DUM sustainably.

Immigration and urban life: research results and trends with young people in São Paulo city (Brazil)

Silvia Helena Simões Borelli — 2024-07-29

The article presents the first results of an investigation linked to an international network established with Working Group of the Latin American Council of Social Sciences - CLACSO Children and Youth, and it refers to gathering and analyzing data collected through survey questionnaires in Brazil. This broader research uses a multi-sited methodology, entitled Latin American childhoods and youth in migration, and it is carried out in five countries (Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Mexico).
The research aims to identify the vulnerability of the rights of children, adolescents, and young people in migration contexts, as well as to underline their political-cultural practices of resistance/reexistence. Therefore, the aim of this article is: a) to underline certain trends regarding the daily life conditions of young participants who are in a migration context in São Paulo (Brazil); b) to address the ways in which different migration situations are entangled with issues of urban life; these aspects are related to spatial mobilities and immobilities in the city, and articulated with the analysis of zones, housing conditions, education, employment, and leisure activities of these young immigrants; c) to generate an exploratory study that can offer insights to the qualitative stage of a broader methodological framework.

Dissonances in the revitalization policies of the central area of Recife

Eunice Abascal — 2024-07-29

The objective of this article is to understand processes and mechanisms that make urban policy instruments legitimize public interest being obscured by the hegemony of private actors, suggesting dissonances and distancing of these instruments from the urban plans and projects proposed for Recife (2000-2023). These mismatches and their prevalence are exemplified in the production of the city that accompanies the river and sea coast in the central area, assuming that investments by private actors in the historic centres are directly linked to and favoured by public policies (or their inability to counterbalance real estate advancement), resulting in the valuation of land not being the object of fair redistribution driven by urban policy. It is based on the fact that the urban space is the object and result of conflict and socio-spatial inequality, and that within the framework of a monopolistic and oligopolistic capitalist practice, the interests of real estate developers and developers, and the privatization of public lands, result in pressures from private agents on the State and society.

Creative dynamics in districts of large Brazilian metropolises: Botafogo (RJ) and Santa Tereza (BH)

João Luiz de Figueiredo — 2024-07-29

The article addresses the relationship between creative activities and urban space through a comparative perspective between two neighborhoods, renowned for their creative dynamics, located in two Brazilian metropolises: Botafogo (Rio de Janeiro) and Santa Tereza (Belo Horizonte). The objective is to analyze how social, economic, cultural, institutional and urban characteristics shape the development of creative economy in these neighborhoods, engendering districts marked by agglomerations of firms and creative workers. Based on literature on productive clusters and cultural quarters, we developed a framework with nine categories: origin; evolutionary trajectory; connections; relational density; activities; built form; meaning; conflicts; and governance. The qualitative methodological procedures of this research included semi-structured interviews with entrepreneurs, professionals, and public managers and urban landscape photographic analysis. Botafogo and Santa Tereza are old neighborhoods in Rio de Janeiro and Belo Horizonte and both stand out in the creative ecosystem of their cities. However, the flourishing processes of their creative activities are different, since Santa Tereza has greater historical and symbolic recognition than Botafogo, which went through a more recent process of development of these activities due to its social and economic characteristics. The obtained results show that cultural and creative districts can be developed by different processes and that governance mechanisms need to be improved to mediate some conflicts in favor of the sustainability of the cultural quarters. Finally, we hope to contribute to urban planning and creative economy development.

Today's urban planner as a dynamic agent of sustainable territory

Nataliya Barbera Alvarado — 2024-07-29

Given the dynamics of complexity of the urban objects that make up cities, attempts have been made to understand the practice of the urban in response to spatial indeterminacies. In this sense, the objective of this article is to analyze the skills of the urban planner in times of uncertainty based on the variables: sustainability, political-administrative, infrastructure-territory and social. The study was approached through the mixed research approach, which allows meta-inference based on quantitative and qualitative data, obtained from architectural professionals who serve as objects of study, who based on the urban planning component developed in their professional training It contributes to assessing the skills of the urban planner. The results indicate that, despite the advances in sustainable construction of cities through strategies for efficient management of natural phenomena in inhabited space, it is necessary to think about intelligent systems within urban practices as a fundamental component of the designs. It is concluded that the task of the urban planner is to mediate between the spatial reality and disciplinary technical knowledge in the processes of urban configuration, therefore, it constitutes an interdisciplinary epistemological-projectual relationship that responds to socio-spatial complexity, whose practice requires technical skills of soft tools that make possible citizen participation, sustainability in the construction and construction of the territory to balance the relationship between man and nature, acting as a mediator of the technical component in urban construction.

Smart cities and neurodiversity: A discussion on the need for inclusive urban spaces for all

Andréa Oliveira da Silveira — 2024-07-29

The growth of cities due to rising urban population has given rise to complex issues for authorities, including resource scarcity, mobility, environmental concerns, and social inclusion. In response to these challenges, smart cities have emerged as a solution. By utilizing information and communication technologies, smart cities aim to improve the quality of life for residents and promote sustainable development, although this technological advancement can also exacerbate existing inequalities. Therefore, social inclusion and equity are crucial considerations in the context of smart cities, and ensuring full accessibility and inclusivity for all individuals becomes a major challenge for urban areas. While academia has given considerable attention to studying the urban experiences of marginalized groups such as the disabled and immigrants, there is a lack of research and inclusive practices focusing on other forms of diversity, such as neurodivergent individuals. Neurodivergent people face sensory and cognitive barriers, which are often overlooked in academic studies and urban planning. Hence, this study sought to reflect on the inclusion of neurodiversity in smart cities, emphasizing the importance of prioritizing the needs of the most vulnerable members of society and enabling equal participation in urban opportunities.

Quinta do Ferro, from participation to gentrification promoted by one municipality

Tiago Mota Saraiva — 2024-07-29

Rather than merely describing participatory practices and methodologies and their transformation into projects, this essay aims to reflect on a process driven from local reality (bottom-up), the organization of people, the attainment of visibility, and the conflict with institutionalized planning practices (top-down). It lists and describes some of these moments, seeking to map and register a process rich in nuances, contradictions, illusions, and disappointments, yet capable of positioning itself as a contribution to a broader analysis on Lisbon planning methods over the last decade.

Editorial 48

Maria Assunção Gato — 2024-07-29

People's Neighbourhoods

Raquel Santos — 2024-07-29

This interview took place in 2007 for the Universidade Aberta programme 'Entre Nós', and was originally broadcast by RTP and directed by Elisa Antunes. Transcription by Mariana Leite Braga, edited by Maria Assunção Gato. The video recording is is available in open access through UA Repository at: https://educast.fccn.pt/vod/clips/1okbfdf2l7/html5.html?locale=pt

Access to land within international agendas and plans: which opportunities to strengthen public policies?

Cecília Delgado — 2024-07-29

This article intends to strengthen access to land for agricultural production initiatives in Portugal by answering the following question: In the international context of sustainable development agendas and plans, what are the key themes for advocating an access to land public policy? We call for more visibility to the topic based on the international action and monitoring plans, as the Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda, and others developed by the FAO, RUAF and the Milan Pact, as an opportunity to raise awareness among political decision-makers regarding the need to consolidate and replicate land banks in the national territory and to include them in territorial planning.

Concerning the methodology, we identified and critically analysed the themes, targets and indicators that cover access to land in four selected action and monitoring plans. Land access targets and indicators were found in three of them, corresponding to the following themes: gender equality; socio-economic perspective; and food production.

We conclude by recommending guidelines for access to land based on the key themes of the agendas and plans analysed. We also propose incorporating these themes into territorial planning instruments in order to strengthen local food systems. Finally, it is suggested that access to land indicators should be more visible, through awareness campaigns and training for national and local governments, political and technical decision-makers, thus supporting the consolidation and replication of existing initiatives.

Social participation in land regularization processes of the Rede moradia assessoria in Brazil

Juliette Lenoir — 2024-07-29

In Brazil, around 85% of the population lives in cities, but urbanization is accompanied by high rates of informality, irregularity and precarity. One-fifth of the population lives in informal settlements and the participation of these residents is provided in Brazilian land regularization laws [Reurb]. First, we analyzed how social participation is included in the legal scope of Reurb in Brazil. In a second moment, we investigated when and how, in the Reurb process, social participation was included in the advisory and technical assistance practices for social housing of groups linked to the housing consulting network (Rede moradia assessoria, [Rede]). From the case studies available on the Rede's digital platform, we noticed that participatory cartography is a recurrently used instrument to make visible the realities and demands of residents, as well as to establish dialogue with public authorities.

‘When the idea became action

Maria Assunção Gato — 2024-07-29

The first decade of journal CIDADES, Comunidades e Territórios

Isabel Guerra — 2024-07-29

Vítor Matias Ferreira: Commitment and fascination for the City

Oriol Nel·lo — 2024-07-29

Remembering Vítor Matias Ferreira

José Luís Casanova — 2024-07-29

Vítor Matias Ferreira – From Expo’98 to ‘Grandes Trabalhos’

Paulo Tormenta Pinto — 2024-07-29