The Architectural Typology of Contemporary Façades for Public Buildings in the European Context

In contemporary architecture, a border between an exterior and an interior—a façade—is variously designed in terms of form, style, response to climate or culture, individual approach or tools used. Despite the diversity and multi-tread theoretical and practical discourse, the Authors propose the typology of contemporary façades for public buildings (open to society) in the context of European cities by extracting comprehensive architectural features. The term systematic reflects the complexness of the issue by the newly proposed element. Namely, it is a representation of a particular architectural feature with the use of scale. The elaboration consists of (1) an introduction with a literature review and thesis, (2) our aim and method, (3) a historical background; case studies, and systematics introduction (4) conclusions with typology proposal.

The Financial – Economic Factors in the Strategic Planning of European Borderlands: Envisioning the So-Desired Sustainable Development

In Europe, there are a considerable number of borderlands involving various Cross-Border Cooperation (CBC) projects, plans, and strategies. It is a well-known fact that these border synergies are perceived as very intricate processes. Consequently, researches that focus on different variables, factors, and perspectives that could affect the success or failure of the common border projects are essential to achieve consistent regional sustainability. In fact, we believe there is a gap on the perception and implementation of some of the critical factors for territorial success in borderlands by the regional main actors. Thereby, this study through the use of exploratory tools as top-to-bottom questionnaires examines the border cooperation of eleven CBC projects (twenty-one European cities) focusing on the financial-economic theme. Besides, the research permits us to recognize and isolate the two main decisive factors to consider from a financial-economic: (i) Strong territorial strategy; (ii) Access to European funds. Moreover, this study shows that the CBC could be used as a catalyst for creating job opportunities in these regions.

An Accessible City is a Healthy and People-Centred Smart City

Accessibility for all is an inspiring issue for future urban agendas. In European cities, the ageing of urban population and the growth of social and economic disparities call for interdisciplinary reflection and practice on the relations between well-being and inclusion and the organization and upgrading of public facilities. The challenge is to ensure the usability of urban spaces to the largest extent of persons, according to their different capabilities. Based on research developed at the University of Trieste (Italy), and taking the region Friuli Venezia Giulia as its main study context, the article questions a variety of recent urban tools and policies in order to show their level of innovation and the obstacles that still oppose their more effective integration. The aim is to highlight possible fields for public action and the need to rethink planning instruments and technical skills in the frame of a user experience and smart design approach.

Investigating commercial and convenience services installed in intermodal passenger terminals located in mid-sized European cities

The concept of intermodality has gained key importance in the sustainable mobility strategy of the European Union. In the past two decades, different types of intermodal passenger terminals (IPTs) have been built in many European cities. These facilities provide possibility for passengers to change transportation mode or route in a short time and connect long-distance transportation services with public transportation modes under one roof. IPTs, however, are more than just hubs in the transportation network, but, due to their size and special location in the city, they are landmarks of cities. In addition, IPTs host not only transportation services but also different types of commercial and convenience services used both by passengers and local people. This study focuses on classifying IPTs based on their hierarchical position in the transportation network and determining which type is the most generally located in European mid-sized cities. Then, an investigation is carried out to map those commercial and convenience services that are the most installed in such IPT types. Finally, three European IPTs located in mid-sized cities and one in a large city are analysed to reveal the similarities and differences in the commercial and convenience services they host. This study found that such commercial and convenience services are most suitable for installation in IPTs that are related to transportation services, do not require a substantial amount of space, and do not block or obstruct the movement of people. Furthermore, as a component of the comprehensive planning documentation, a preliminary commercial feasibility study should be produced for each IPT.