2021 | Article of the year
Finisterra congratulates the winners of the 2021 Best Article Award.
The winners were selected by vote of a Committee appointed for this purpose. Manuscripts published in Finisterra are evaluated based on clarity of writing and content, organisation, graphics, contribution to knowledge, etc.
On 25 November 2022, following the Finisterra Annual Conference with Julienne C. Stroeve, the President of the Jury, Nuno Marques da Costa, announced the winners of the 2021 Article of the Year Award and one Honourable Mention.
The Finisterra Article of the Year Award, recognising the best article published in the journal in 2021, was awarded to:
Miguel Saraiva, Ana Amante, Teresa Sá Marques, Márcio Ferreira and Catarina Maia. TERRITORIAL PROFILES OF CRIME IN PORTUGAL (2009–2019). Finisterra – Revista Portuguesa de Geografia, LVI(116), 49–73. https://doi.org/10.18055/Finis20682
Over the past decade, crime in Portugal has decreased by 21%. However, the economic crisis and growing socio-territorial disparities have accentuated specific criminal practices and highlighted the importance of their territorial expression. While European agendas have promoted the reduction of territorial inequalities through more spatialised public policies, the geographic dimension of crime has gained relevance in research. In this context, the literature calls for multivariate and multi-scalar analyses based on territorial data to support public policies. This article contributes to addressing the lack of territorial reflection by exploring spatial disparities in crime over the past decade in Portugal. A multivariate analysis is applied to construct integrated profiles that help identify and characterise territories vulnerable to crime, providing input for urban planning with a view to more coordinated and integrated responses.
An Honourable Mention was also awarded to the following article:
Ana Gonçalves, Sandra Oliveira, Ana Sá, Akli Benali, José Luís Zêzere and José Miguel Pereira
ASSESSING LOCAL COMMUNITIES’ EXPOSURE TO RURAL FIRES: THE CASE OF ALVARES, GÓIS
Finisterra – Revista Portuguesa de Geografia, LVI(117), 29–53. https://doi.org/10.18055/Finis19277
The parish of Alvares, in the municipality of Góis, was severely affected by the June 2017 wildfires, which burned 70% of its area. To improve local community protection and increase resilience, it is essential to assess the level of exposure of settlements to large fires. In this study, the level of exposure of settlements in the parish was assessed by combining the density of exposed elements with the probability of burning. Exposure was calculated from two perspectives: structural (based on the number of times burned since 1980) and dynamic (based on simulations of burn probability for different fuel management scenarios). Social vulnerability was also estimated, taking into account the sociodemographic characteristics of residents, as well as building conditions and maintenance. The results suggest that: (1) settlements in the north and northeast of the parish are more exposed to rural fires; (2) nearly half of the settlements present high or very high vulnerability; (3) the proportion of settlements with very high exposure may decrease by up to 80% with the implementation of fuel management strips. These results, at the settlement scale, can support better prioritisation of protection and emergency actions, adjusting strategies and fire prevention and mitigation measures to local population and landscape characteristics.
The Jury for the 2021 Best Article Award was composed of:
Nuno Marques da Costa (CEG, IGOT, ULisboa, Portugal) (President)
Ana Louro (CEG, IGOT, ULisboa, Portugal)
João Cabral (Faculty of Architecture, ULisboa, Portugal)
José Carlos Teixeira (University of British Columbia, Canada)
Maria Helena Esteves (CEG, IGOT, ULisboa, Portugal)
Raquel Melo (Department of Geosciences, UÉvora, Portugal)
Sérgio Oliveira (CEG, IGOT, ULisboa, Portugal)
