Feeling a historic city: Porto landscape through the eyes of residents and visitors

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Isabel Vaz de Freitas ◽  
Cristina Sousa ◽  
Makhabbat Ramazanova ◽  
Helena Albuquerque
Keyword(s):  
Urban Landscape ◽  
Landscape Management ◽  
City Centre ◽  
Management Decision ◽  
Outdoor Advertising ◽  
Aesthetic Quality ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Landscape Heritage ◽  
Visual Impacts ◽  
The City

Purpose This paper aims to monitor the urban landscape through the perceptions of residents and visitors, identifying features that cause visual impacts and providing insights for landscape management decision-makers. Captured impressions about the city whilst moving around are important to assess the satisfaction of city residents and city visitors through key elements, such as directional signage, outdoor advertising, restaurants’ outdoor terrace furniture, urban furniture, green spaces, traffic, cleaning, pedestrian areas, visitor flow and conservation of monuments, museums and buildings. Design/methodology/approach A survey was applied in the historical Porto city centre (Portugal) to understand residents’ and visitors’ perceptions of the city landscape and assess the differences between these two groups. Cronbach’s alpha was used to assess the reliability of the constructs (dimensions) of urban landscape. Non-parametric Mann-Whitney test was used to find significant differences in the perceptions of residents and visitors. Findings The results suggest significant differences in the perceptions. Residents value more two constructs of the landscape (heritage conservation and transport mobility) whilst visitors value more other two (pedestrian mobility and aesthetic quality). It is showed that residents have a strong sense of place and are concerned with the conservation of historical heritage. Visitors are more concerned with dimensions intrinsically related to tourism. Originality/value This research allowed to fill a gap found in the literature, namely, the importance of considering the perceptions of different actors in the urban landscape monitoring. These results are an important contribution for local authorities to understand the value of urban landscape elements from the perspective of residents and visitors. This study opened the possibility of comparing the results from different historical cities centres.

scholarly journals Um olhar comparativo sobre a regulamentação dos veículos de mídia exterior urbana: os casos de São Paulo (cidade) e Roma | A comparative view of urban outdoor advertising (Out-Of-Home media) regulation: the cases of São Paulo (city) and Rome

2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 17-44
Author(s):  
Vanessa Casarin ◽  
Raquel Martinelli
Keyword(s):  
Urban Landscape ◽  
Sao Paulo ◽  
Strong Impact ◽  
São Paulo ◽  
Outdoor Advertising ◽  
Aesthetic Quality ◽  
Media Regulation ◽  
Different Types ◽  
The Aesthetic ◽  
The City

O objetivo central deste trabalho é apresentar um estudo comparativo sobre como as cidade de São Paulo e Roma tem lidado em suas regulamentações com os diferentes suportes de mídia exterior urbana, uma vez que são estas normas que moldam com maior ou menor rigor a forma com que a informação de caráter comercial chega aos cidadãos. O desenho da informação depende, fundamentalmente, do suporte através do qual será veiculada.  A mídia exterior tem um forte impacto na paisagem urbana e a partir da Lei Cidade Limpa implantada em São Paulo diversas cidades brasileiras se viram incentivadas a implantar ou alterar suas normativas neste sentido. A fim de contribuir com este fenômeno, procurou-se então estabelecer um paralelo entre a cidade de São Paulo, uma cidade de negócios, e a cidade de Roma, fortemente orientada ao turismo incentivado pelo seu profícuo patrimônio histórico, principalmente arquitetônico. No caso de São Paulo abordou-se o contexto de aplicação da regulamentação específica mais recente e suas alterações posteriores. Fez-se, a partir de uma analise documental da legislação vigente, uma comparação com a cidade de Roma. Observou-se que embora a cidade de Roma seja fortemente orientada ao turismo e a exploração da qualidade estética de sua paisagem, é mais permissiva em relação a presença de diferentes suportes de mídia exterior na paisagem urbana do que a cidade de São Paulo.*****The main aim of this paper is to present a comparative study between the cities of São Paulo and Rome, and how these cities are dealing with different types of urban outdoor advertising (Out-Of-Home media) in its regulations since these regulations shape the way commercial information is placed in the landscape. The information design depends, mainly, on the support it will be placed. Outdoor advertising has a strong impact on the urban landscape. Since the Clean City Law was implanted in São Paulo, several Brazilian cities have been encouraged to implement (or modify) regulations in this sense. In order to contribute to this discussion, a parallel between the city of São Paulo, a business city, and the city of Rome, strongly oriented to the tourism encouraged by its historical heritage, mainly architectonic, are presented in this paper. The results shown consider only the documental analysis (of the normative legislation, maps, and publications pertinent to the subject) which formed the basis for the evaluation of the landscape, and not the evaluation of the landscape itself. It refers to the initial stage of the research. Its character is, therefore, descriptive and the comparison established between the different case studies aims to foment the discussion around the paths followed by the cities to deal with the spread and diversity of the OOH media nowadays. It was observed that although the city of Rome is mainly oriented to tourism and the profiteering of the aesthetic quality of its landscape, it is more permissive in relation to the presence of different types of OOH media in the urban landscape than the city of São Paulo.

scholarly journals Textualities of the city – from the legibility of urban space towards social and natural others in planning

2016 ◽  
Vol 44 (1/2) ◽  
pp. 34-52 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tiit Remm
Keyword(s):  
Urban Space ◽  
Planning Process ◽  
Urban Landscape ◽  
Local Environment ◽  
Analytical Framework ◽  
City Centre ◽  
Semiotic System ◽  
Equal Degree ◽  
Moscow School ◽  
The City

‘Text’ has been a frequent notion in analytical conceptualizations of landscape and the city. It is mostly found in analyses of textual representations or suggestions concerning a metaphor of “reading” an (urban) landscape. In the Tartu- Moscow School of Semiotics the idea of the text of St. Petersburg has also been applied in analysing particular cities as organizing topics in literature and in culture more widely, but it has not happened to an equal degree in studies of actual urban spaces. The understanding of text as a semiotic system and mechanism is, however, more promising than revealed by these conceptions. Some potential can be made apparent by relating this textual paradigm to a more pragmatic understanding of the city and its planning. My project in this paper is to uncover an analytical framework focusing on the concepts of ‘text’, ‘textualization’ and ‘texting’ in studying the planning of urban environment. The paper observes the case of the urban planning process of the Tartu city centre in Estonia during 2010–2016, and is particularly concerned with the roles that urban nature has acquired in the process of this “textualization” of the local environment, societal ideals, practices and possible others.

The 2015 Cricket World Cup in Christchurch

2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 4-17
Author(s):  
C. Michael Hall ◽  
Alberto Amore
Keyword(s):  
Local Community ◽  
City Centre ◽  
Sporting Events ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
World Cup ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Mainstream Media ◽  
Disaster Capitalism ◽  
The City

Purpose This study aims to focus on the development and upgrading of the Hagley Park cricket oval in Christchurch for the 2015 Cricket World Cup and how this hallmark event was used a catalyst to rebrand the city following the 2010 and 2011 earthquakes. Design/methodology/approach This paper is based on the findings from research conducted between 2012 and 2016. Data for the analysis were collected from mainstream media, sport organisations websites and government archives. In addition, a two-round series of semi-structured interviews with relevant stakeholders was undertaken in the aftermath of the Cricket World Cup. Findings In the case of Christchurch, the earthquakes and the destruction of much of the downtown provided a recovery opportunity, with the 2015 Cricket World Cup used to expedite the development of a new sporting venue in the city centre and rebrand the city to international tourists and sport enthusiasts. Research limitations/implications The Hagley Park cricket oval case study provides evidence on the rhetoric of urban competitiveness and the use of hallmark sporting events to reframe urban development in post-disaster contexts. Originality/value This research provides further evidence on the logics of disaster capitalism and how cities embark on costly redevelopment projects for sports and events whilst overlooking exacerbating vulnerabilities among the local community.

scholarly journals 'Pestilential Emanations', Medical Knowledge, and Stigmatisation in Saint-Louis, Senegal, 1854-1920

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 226-246
Author(s):  
Kalala Ngalamulume
Keyword(s):  
Urban Poor ◽  
Urban Landscape ◽  
Medical Knowledge ◽  
Urban Transformation ◽  
City Centre ◽  
Saint Louis ◽  
Hygienic Measures ◽  
Seasonal Allergies ◽  
The City ◽  
Epidemic Diseases

This article shows how French doctors based in Saint-Louis-du-Sénégal, the capital of colonial Senegal, conceptualised the Senegambian region as a diseased environment and Africans as carriers of infectious agents. It explains how perceptions of the hot tropical climate, combined with outbreaks of epidemic diseases and seasonal allergies, were instrumental in the processes of urban transformation through hygienic measures such as waste removal, the closing of cemeteries, and the imposition of new building codes. The article also shows how the stigmatisation of Africans was implicated in the forced removal of the urban poor – firstly from the city centre, and later from the entire city-island. Colonial medical knowledge in Senegal was initially based on the miasma theory, however, germ theory was adopted in the aftermath of the 1900 yellow fever epidemic. Both theories, in relation with racialism, impacted the urban landscape in Saint-Louis, Senegal.

scholarly journals TERRITORIAL EXPLORATION TO IMPLEMENT THE RECOMMENDATION ON HISTORIC URBAN LANDSCAPES FOR THE DEVELOPMENT AREA OF EL EJIDO IN CUENCA, ECUADOR

2020 ◽  
Vol XLIV-M-1-2020 ◽  
pp. 505-512
Author(s):  
S. Auquilla ◽  
M. Siguencia
Keyword(s):  
Urban Landscape ◽  
Specific Area ◽  
Management Plan ◽  
City Centre ◽  
Urban Landscapes ◽  
City Center ◽  
World Heritage List ◽  
The Face ◽  
Historic City ◽  
The City

Abstract. Cuenca in Ecuador is a growing city, weak in the face of the changes that the expansion phenomenon implies. The area of El Ejido was the first expansion area of the city with valuable samples of the arrival of modernity in the city. Nowadays, this sector is not exempted from the effects of urban growth and deserves to be managed through a proper management plan for its preservation. Degraded landscapes have been identified, modern heritage architecture shows clear symptoms of abandonment and low maintenance, causing the disappearance of historic buildings. Given these and other problems associated with urban development, Cuenca, like other cities, has taken the initiative of adopting the Recommendation on the Historic Urban Landscape (HUL) adopted by UNESCO in 2011, as a measure to safeguard urban heritage. In 2014, the implementation of this relatively new approach was first initiated in the pilot area of the Historic City Centre of Cuenca. This area was included in the World Heritage List in 1999 based on criteria II, IV, and V.However, aware of the significant heritage values embedded at El Ejido and its close urban and landscape link with the Historical City Center, the aim of this research is the implementation of the HUL’s approach in a specific area located in El Ejido. Due to the clear difference between this sector and the Historical City Center, it is necessary to assess the first methodology used and work on a methodology that can be extrapolated to this sector and further on to other sectors of the city. To obtain the methodology for this area, it is essential to carry out a territorial exploration in cities with similar characteristics to Cuenca that are implementing an approach based on the study of the Historical Urban Landscape Recommendation.

Effectiveness of seismic strengthening to repeated earthquakes in historic urban contexts

2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 47-64
Author(s):  
Valentina Putrino ◽  
Dina D’Ayala
Keyword(s):  
Seismic Vulnerability ◽  
Residential Buildings ◽  
Central Italy ◽  
Assessment Method ◽  
Qualitative Assessment ◽  
City Centre ◽  
General Context ◽  
Good Correspondence ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The City

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to discuss the dynamics of the evolution of damage to the residential buildings within the city walls of Norcia during the six-month seismic swarm that hit Central Italy in the period 24th August 2016 to end of January 2019. This is accomplished by comparing the damage recorded by the Italian Civil Protection usability form (AEDES form) during this period after each event. Design/methodology/approach First, these outputs are compared with a qualitative assessment conducted by means of omnidirectional camera (ODC) imagery collected on site by the authors, to explore the ability of this technology to support post-earthquake damage assessment. The damage level attributed with these two techniques is then further compared with the output of the analytical vulnerability assessment method FaMIVE, which allows to correlate damage to vulnerability. Specifically, the objective is to investigate the efficacy and performance of historic and recent strengthening interventions. Findings Results show that there is a good correspondence between AeDES and ODC assessments for low to medium damage grades (DG). Discrepancies in higher DGs are discussed in light of the different levels of information that can be recorded by using the two tools. The efficacy of strengthening is also well captured by the FaMIVE method. The procedure estimates a decrease of almost 40, 25 and 20 per cent of the total number of buildings failing out-of-plane, respectively, for the three seismic events considered, when restraining elements are in action. Research limitations/implications The analysis conducted in this work make use of deterministic values of Norcia’s masonry fabric characteristics that have been found in literature, thus implying that neither the probabilistic aspects nor the related uncertainties have been properly investigated and addressed. However, this limitation is to be considered within the more general context of the legislation for the preservation of historic buildings which limits substantially any type of semi-destructive tests, hence limiting the reliability of the values available in literature. This in turn affects the decisions informing the design and implementation of strengthening interventions which can be confidently considered reliable and effective. Originality/value The paper addresses for the first time a systematic investigation of damage progression in historic masonry structures, part of urban aggregates in heritage cities. The current urban fabric is discussed in view of historic building codes as the basis for determining the present seismic vulnerability of the historic city centre of Norcia. The study provides new data sets for the city of Norcia and develops a statistical correlation between cumulative damage and analytical vulnerability functions for heritage buildings exposed to a swarm of earthquakes. The analytical assessment of the effect of historic strengthening is totally novel.

A historical analysis and the identification of driving forces behind the evolution of the urban macro skyline of Shiraz, Iran

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 413-427 ◽  
Author(s):  
Farnaz Mohseni ◽  
Silke Weidner ◽  
Michael Kloos
Keyword(s):  
Urban Landscape ◽  
Driving Forces ◽  
Landscape Management ◽  
Historical Analysis ◽  
Field Research ◽  
Contributing Factors ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Comprehensive Method ◽  
Management Plans ◽  
Historic City

PurposeThe historic city of Shiraz, in the south of Iran, is renowned for its monuments and its remarkable macro skyline, which has been destructively affected by the rapid urban development. This research proposes a systematic historical analysis, which can discover the driving forces behind the evolution of the macro skyline of Shiraz, in the past as well as contemporary times.Design/methodology/approachThe proposed general framework of the methodology is constituted of systematic historical mapping and documentation, which is based on a desk study and field research. Moreover, by means of this methodology, different layers and driving forces of shaping the urban macro skyline are extracted.FindingsThe outcome demonstrates 12 driving forces or contributing factors behind the evolution of the urban macro skyline. Based on the results, it is concluded that there was a shift in the subject and content of driving forces during the last century that has contributed to the destructive effects on the silhouette of Shiraz in turn.Practical implicationsIt is suggested that the proposed comprehensive method, which is based on the historical analysis and the field survey, can be applied as a documentation platform. It is believed that the analysis and the extraction of driving forces can facilitate future urban landscape management plans as well as possible impact assessments.Originality/valueMany studies rely on the analysis of historical data in landscape assessment. Nevertheless, this research develops an innovative historical analysis, which identifies the driving forces behind the evolution of the urban macro skyline over time.

Walking the public: re(visiting) Athens’s historical centre

2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 298-315 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dimitra Kanellopoulou
Keyword(s):  
Public Space ◽  
Social Exchange ◽  
Local Economy ◽  
City Centre ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Space Planning ◽  
Space Projects ◽  
People Search ◽  
And Function ◽  
The City

Purpose Since the 1980s, planning public spaces for leisure walking is largely linked with economic and cultural objectives. Parallel to this tendency and the priorities of local authorities on barker public space projects, inhabitant’s associations, that grow up after the 2000s, propose new ways of visiting the city through collective walks. Drawing on the example of the Atenistas group, and based on the discourses of its founders, its presence on social media and the narratives of participants, the purpose of this paper is to question the emergence and function of new forms of urban walking that joggle between tourism, social exchange and act of citizenship. Design/methodology/approach The case study is based on personal semi-directive interviews with organisers and participants at “Atenistas Open Walks”. It is also based on interviews that have been held with architects and urban planners within technical services of the municipality of Athens as also as within private sector’s structures. Findings First insights from the study question pedestrianisation as a dominant urban planning tool towards animated street life and performant local economy. Contrary to the traditional top-down approach in Athens’s public space planning which uses pedestrianisation or land management to re-invest on the city centre, Atenistas Open Walks reveal the existence of alternatives ways of a re-engagement with city values and history. People search to explore the city by themselves and re-trace their proper itineraries (and ways of seeing the city) by outpassing official discourses on the decline, the success, the dangerousness or the beautifulness of certain neighbourhoods. Consequently, walkers constantly nourish their will to better understand the city. Public space experience outpasses morphological or functional issues. The act of walking with others in the city willing to explore places and to exchange on this experience, confront people with different narratives and trajectories and can momently be a strong factor of social cohesion and activation of public space with significant impacts on local economy. Walking collectively can emerge, in this way, as a counter model of public space planning capable of revitalise not only touristic activity, but also citizenship. Originality/value The study questions dominant discourses that link urban liveability and touristic attractiveness of urban centres with recreational events and streets’ pedestrianisation projects.

Citizen Participation and Sense of Community in the Development of the Permanent Conservation Project Plan

2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 87
Author(s):  
Rafika Korti ◽  
Sassi Boudemagh Souad
Keyword(s):  
Citizen Participation ◽  
Sense Of Community ◽  
Urban Landscape ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Public Confidence ◽  
Consultation Process ◽  
Economic Context ◽  
The Status ◽  
Landscape Heritage ◽  
The City

Algeria is a country known for its diversity. Indeed, each of its regions stands out for its urban landscape, heritage, customs and traditions. The urban landscape of the Souf region is exceptional. This one is known for the originality of its architecture. Its two old districts "Messaaba and Acheche" having the status of safeguarded sector since the year 2013, were endowed with a project of elaboration of the permanent plan of safeguarding. The citizen is a key element in this project because it is the element that makes this heritage live. Therefore, citizen dialogue must be at the heart of the project process. To facilitate the consultation process and win public confidence for its full support to projects, it is necessary to establish a collaborative approach and establish mechanisms connecting the project. The effectiveness of its participation depends on individual differences. These variables could be demographic (age groups, educational level, economic context ... .etc), personality, or sense of community. The purpose of this article is to examine sense of community level that influences the process of participation of citizens concerned by the elaboration of the permanent safeguarding plan project, through a survey that was initiated with the inhabitants of two old districts "Messaaba and Acheche" to the city of El Oued.

PLACE MEANING AND SIGNIFICANCE OF THE TRADITIONAL SHOPPING DISTRICT IN THE CITY CENTRE OF KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA

2014 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 66 ◽  
Author(s):  
Norsidah Ujang
Keyword(s):  
Urban Landscape ◽  
Place Identity ◽  
City Centre ◽  
Kuala Lumpur ◽  
City Center ◽  
Rapid Urbanization ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Place Meaning ◽  
Urbanization Rate ◽  
The City

Due to the rapid urbanization rate, the traditional urban environment in developing countries has been constantly replaced by modern structures with standardized images. The urban landscape of Kuala Lumpur city demonstrates a similar pattern, which, arguably, may disrupt the continuity in meaning embedded in people’s associationwith the places. This paper describes the meaning and significance of the traditional shopping districts in the city center of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The researcher conducted face-to-face interviews and field observations to understand the meanings attached to the users’ experience of the traditional shopping streets located in the area. It was also to identify the urban elements that perceived to be important. The results demonstrate that the users translated various meanings of the places. The types and length of engagement, familiarity, cultural characteristics of the users and economic dependency influenced the attachment. The places are meaningful as a reflection of self and group identity thus contribute to the continuity of place identity. 

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