INNOVATION AND EXCELLENCE IN GEOGRAPHY: YOUNG RESEARCHERS IN GEOGRAPHIC AND TERRITORIAL SCIENCES:

Editorial note

The present edition of Finisterra, number 124, highlights two important facts that justify this editorial. The first fact is related to the need for renewal of Finisterra in the current context of scientific journal publishing activity; the second reason is celebratory, marking the association of the journal with the 80^th anniversary of the Centre for Geographic Studies, through the launch of a special call for papers titled "Innovation and Excellence in Geography: young researchers in geographical and territorial sciences," an initiative that is now materialized with the publication of the selected documents. The two relevant facts that motivate this opening note prompt the comments and reflections that are shared below.

Since its creation in 1966, Finisterra has established itself as a reference journal in the field of Geography, contributing to the recognition and prestige of the Centre for Geographic Studies. In the current century, the evolution of the journal has responded to important emerging challenges, such as digitization and the increasing need for integration into international academic repositories, steps that previous editorial boards have successfully navigated. In the current context, Finisterra must adapt to new challenges posed by international platforms for indexing scientific documents to consolidate its recognition and appeal to the vast community of researchers in the fields of Geography and Territory. In this sense and aligning with the technological and social trends of our time, the evolution of the journal should be guided by the simplification and flexibility of editorial production processes, focusing more on the digital support for publication, undoubtedly the most important model for use and dissemination. Although Finisterra maintains its hybrid publishing profile, both digital and print, the current issue already materializes two changes resulting from this transition: a change in the format of the print version and a drastic reduction in circulation.

The decision to change the format of the print publication arises, first of all, from the need to simplify and streamline the entire production flow of the journal's issues, transitioning to a graphic composition model that will allow faster and continuous publication of documents. Publishing quarterly issues within recommended deadlines and disseminating them timely in institutional academic repositories and indexing databases represent a demanding challenge, but simultaneously a key factor in the attractiveness and future of Finisterra as a reference scientific journal. On the other hand, it is also expected that the new format may provide a more satisfactory reading experience for users of the print version, although their numbers have been steadily decreasing according to available data on print copy sales. Reducing the print circulation of Finisterra (from 200 to 50) is, therefore, a measure that appears reasonable and appropriate, also driven by an imperative of environmental responsibility, recognizing the absolute need to reduce waste and carbon and ecological footprints. Note, in this regard, the limited number of active exchanges of the printed edition with other journals, only 13, in stark contrast to the growing visibility of the journal in the digital world.

As mentioned earlier, the association of the journal with the celebrations of the 80^th anniversary of the Centre for Geographic Studies resulted in this special issue, highlighting the work currently developed by young researchers in the areas of geographical and territorial sciences. This initiative sparked great interest from doctoral students or recent PhDs, both national and international, with nearly forty expressions of interest received and materialized in the eleven texts now published (and in some documents to be published in future issues).

Not being a young researcher, Zêzere (2023) leads the publication on behalf of the Centre for Geographic Studies and the science that studies various geomorphological hazards in Portugal. In this text, it is observed that the small territorial size of the country is not proportional to the great variety of identified risks, showing clear regional diversity.

Still in the field of Physical Geography, Fernandes et al. (2023) present an analysis of doctoral theses in Physical Geography published between 2000 and 2021. Biogeography, Climatology, Hydrology, Geomorphology, and Risk and Planning are the main emerging domains, utilizing an increasingly diverse range of fieldwork techniques and analysis methods. They also identified an interesting relationship between educational institutions and study areas and themes.

The following is a set of texts that discuss geography and spatial planning, aiming to contribute to the definition of more suitable policies in environmental and social domains. Maia and Sá Marques (2023) analyze public participation associated with the review of the National Spatial Planning Policy Program (PNPOT), particularly addressing spatial planning issues. The goal is to assess proximity among participants based on their profiles and responses, resulting in "communities" with distinct territorial cultures.

In an approach that interconnects the environment, economy, and spatial planning from a sustainability perspective, and considering the urgent energy transition situation, Alves et al. (2023) propose a spatial index for optimizing the location of solar parks in Portugal. This allows for a discussion on the country's energy potential and its relationship with the expected locations of energy-producing centres, demonstrating its utility as a spatial decision support system.

In the social sphere, Silver and Queirós (2023) discuss the impact of transportation costs on urban inequalities, applying the discussion to the case of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Factors such as income, gender, time, and the purposes of trips have emerged as relevant in distinguishing social groups that can or cannot financially support transportation expenses, necessitating an expanded discussion on tariff policies, population characteristics, and spatial organization. From another perspective, Lopes and Marat-Mendes (2023) discuss access to social housing in the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, considering the current context of significant public investment in this matter. This provides a framework for policies, laws, and programs, along with presenting some case studies.

In the realm of policies, Silva (2023) investigates the presence/absence and mobility of urban policies, focusing on four English urban centres and the relational and territorial construction of their respective Business Improvement Districts. This highlights the importance of positionality, institutional memory, and chronopolitics for more relevant research.

The next two articles work with perceptions in a differentiated manner. Maluly (2023) discusses territories of the past based on Saint-Hilaire's accounts of Brazil in the 19^th century, highlighting the contrast between the "slowness" of the "sertão" and the network of people and ideas arriving through the Atlantic.

At a local level, Ferraz dos Santos et al. (2023) use mapping as a participatory tool for analyzing gender relations (and more) in the school environment, applied to three schools in Lisbon. The study emphasizes the role of nationality in socio-spatial dynamics in schools through three mechanisms: cultural lateralization, school space ghettoization, and peripheral occupation of playgrounds by female students.

The last two documents present bibliographic syntheses on two distinct topics. In the perspective of Economic Geography, Silva and Vale (2023) discuss the resilience of supply chains and various trajectories of international production, a theme that gained greater relevance with the Covid-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war. The authors particularly discuss the orientations of the European Commission, which advocates for promoting network diversification for greater sustainability of supply chains.

Finally, in the field of Planning focused on production and food security, Viana (2023) presents a reflection on the various geospatial approaches to geographical research applied to modelling agricultural systems. The author emphasizes that integrating geospatial approaches is an opportunity for producing new data that support decision-making processes, anticipating changes and projecting future strategies.

With this initiative, Finisterra aims to renew its intention to be a platform for quality science dissemination, providing space for all those interested in Geography and related areas, attracting new authors and reviewers, and expanding the audience seeking the journal as a reference periodical in this scientific domain.

Lisbon, December 2023

Marcelo Fragoso

Ana Louro