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All EURA members are invited to use this page to publish news on projects (in the past 12 months), calls for papers and recent appointments. If you would like to take advantage of this opportunity, please contact eura@pg.tu-darmstadt.de.  


RESEARCH NEWS


31/03/08

THE POTENTIAL OF THE UNOCCUPIED SPACE IN THE FORMATION AND PLANNING OF METROPOLITAN LISBON

The potential of the unoccupied space in the formation and planning of Metropolitan Lisbon is a research project under the scope of a bilateral agreement involving Universities in Portugal and Spain (2008-2009), and is being developed in the Urban and Spatial Planning Research Laboratory, Faculty of Architecture TU Lisbon (LUOTP-FA-UTL) and the Urban and Spatial Department in the School of Architecture, TU Catalonia (DUOT-ETSAB-UPC). The team, coordinated by Sofia Morgado and Angel Martin, includes several experts in urban planning - Clara Mendes, Carles Crosas, João Rafael Santos and Rita Dionísio - as well as a junior team from several MArch Programs within the university: Urban Planning - Cláudia Rocheteau, Fábio Espírito Santo, Paulo Lopes, Vasco Botas; Architecture - Carolina Hogan, Ana Beto, Emanuel Rebelo, Tiago Frazão and Landscape Architecture - Susana Rodrigues.

The project aims to develop both an analysis and a theoretical approach, considering that on contemporary urban development the role of the unoccupied space is becoming more relevant on the configuration of the metropolitan urban development. Several experts have already advised on this, nevertheless the epistemological identification of such spaces is still far from being complete.

This is an opportune moment to examine innovative ways of urbanistic interpretation and intervention, through new approaches to the creation of the urban space, in order to produce necessary advances in metropolitan development. It is argued that the unoccupied space is seen as a relevant agent that articulates the territorial and urban scales. This work proposes its own specific methodology that includes the preparation of original cartography, and the study of selected cases.

The previous interpretation of Lisbon metropolitan territory evolution has shown a territorial structure undergoing important transformations from its genesis into today’s integration in a supra-metropolitan frame. To further develop this approach, the current research has set as main objectives:

  • To deepen a theoretical model for interpretation (five temporal moments, approached from water, land and artificial creation framework);
  • To detail the analysis of identified areas as fundamental by drawing up a conceptual model for urbanistic interpretation that can be applied to significant cases;
  • To help define intervention guidelines that will establish the unoccupied space as a key factor in the urban project. This proposes a dynamic characterisation and structuring of urban spaces that emphasises the places’ strongest identifiers;
  • To help define future paths for research and action to cope with the growing need to develop specific techniques and instruments for structuring the metropolitan area and the urban project;
  • To produce a new cartographical database using GIS techniques, usable as an analytical tool and as an urbanistic information archive.

The Lisbon metropolitan area was selected since it is structured around a large unoccupied space that is fundamental to its formation: the Tagus Estuary, which is a catalyst for essential situations that impact both on creating and conceptualizing the city. Three main areas for development have been considered:

  • Analysis of specific areas structured from the basis of the Tagus Estuary – case study.
  • Synthesis of an urbanistic theory for the metropolitan Lisbon based on the unoccupied space, maybe applicable to the field of European metropolis.

Sofia Morgado
Email: sofiamorgado@mail.telepac.pt


31/03/08

LUOTP- URBAN AND SPATIAL PLANNING RESEARCH LABORATORY FACULTY OF ARCHITECTURE TU LISBON

The LUOTP- Urban and Spatial Planning Research Laboratory, a research unity of the Faculty of Architecture TU Lisbon initiated in 2006, is a multidisciplinary structure. The team includes senior and junior researchers, doctoral students, and maintains important interaction with other research centres, within the Faculty of Architecture and the TU Lisbon, but mostly with public institutions, private and public, national and international, with similar scientific and technological areas of interest.

The LUOTP stimulates the bond between theory and practice, having, nonetheless, a special vocation in what the study, evaluation, methodological and analytical approaches and diagnose applied to urban and territorial planning are concerned, also from the environmental, sociological and economical viewpoints.

Research areas include urban and environmental regeneration, regional management, spatial planning models and governance, regional development, urban and rural landscapes’ evolution and dynamics, as well as urban planning history and theory, gardens and urban parks.

This Research Laboratory also aims to support teaching, contributing to graduation and post graduation programs in urbanism, urban planning and landscape. Therefore, at this level, research is actively encouraged, either by supervising doctoral dissertations or by the permanent transfer of knowledge and technology to non-academicals’ structures. Other activities include involvement in technical upgrading and the development of partnerships with national and international institutions and universities, regarding the improvement and the qualification of the territory. Ongoing research projects, also endorse the awareness to relevant issues regarding sustainability and social cohesion, under a permanent assessment of the obtained results.

At the LUOTP various projects, which are currently being developed, include research on the Metropolitan Area of Lisbon, with reference to spatial planning, urban policies and sustainability, on public space and thermal urbanism. At a different scale of urban analysis, the Plazas of Portugal research project already completed, and the Streets in Portuguese cities research project, still at the very beginning, are also being accomplished.

Simultaneously, support to community is being held through municipal urban regeneration projects (Urban Rehabilitation Society and International Network of Cities, promoted by the Municipality of Oeiras in a cooperation program with LUOTP).

Under the scope of international cooperation, with other universities and research institutions, various projects are being developed. Amongst others, the following projects can be referred: Arte Público y Diseño Urbano para todos / Public Art and Urban Design for all (Universidade de Barcelona, Polis Research Centre, Universidade de Zaragoza, Design for All Foundation et al.), Public Art Urban Design Observatory (Universidade de Barcelona, Polis Research Centre, Universidade de Zaragoza, Manchester Metropolitan University, Design for All Foundation et al.), The potential of the unoccupied space in the formation and planning of Metropolitan Lisbon (FA/UTL, ETSAB/UPC, Barcelona).

LUOTP is also cooperating with the FCT - Fundação para a Ciência e para a Tecnologia (Portuguese Foundation for Research and Technology) in URBAN-NET – Coordination of the funding of urban research in Europe project (Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia, Scotland and Northern Ireland Forum for Environmental Research, Stichting Kenniscentrum Grotesteden Beleid; Projejttrager Mobilitat und Verkehr Bauen und Wohnen; Ministére des Transports e l´Équipement du Tourisme et de la Mer; The Swedish Research Council for Environment.

Sofia Morgado
Email: sofiamorgado@mail.telepac.pt


RECENT PUBLICATIONS (this section lists some of our members publications in the past 12 months)


Cross-national Lesson Drawing for Local Governments

Robin Hambleton writes about a UK initiative to improve exchange between local authorities in different countries

In the late 1990s UK central and local government set up a new agency – the Improvement and Development Agency (IDeA) – to improve the performance of local government in England. The IDeA is an influential organisation in the UK and has a well respected website that is heavily used by local government policy makers and practitioners.

Earlier this year the IDeA commissioned Robin Hambleton to research and write five short articles on local government innovations in other countries. The articles are intended to stimulate fresh thinking within the UK local government community in relation to international lesson drawing. The articles were published on a fortnightly basis in Municipal Journal (MJ) – a leading UK local government management magazine – as well as on the IDeA website. The versions on the website are longer than the MJ versions and they provide guides to further sources.

The articles – which were published as an integrated series under the title ‘International Insights’ – are concerned with various aspects of local government innovation, from urban regeneration to improving the user experience of public services.

The series employs a ‘lesson drawing’ methodology – meaning that explicit attention is given in each article to the implications of experience abroad for policy and practice in the UK. The five topics covered are:

  • Learning from others globally
  • Melbourne makeover
  • Planning the Milan city region
  • Service responsiveness – lessons from Chicago
  • Adapting to climate change in Malmo

The articles are available for free download from: www.idea.gov.uk/international 

The series represents part of a strategic move by the IDeA and MJ to work with other partners to develop a more sophisticated approach to international lesson drawing at the locality-to-locality level. This initiative enjoys the support of the Local Government Association (LGA), the Society of Local Authority Chief Executives (SOLACE), the European Association of Chief Executives (UDITE), the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) and, of course, the European Urban Research Association (EURA).

The EURA logo appears on all the articles and the IDeA website now has a link to the EURA website. It is hoped that the articles will enhance the profile of EURA in the period ahead.

Robin Hambleton is Professor of City Leadership, in the Cities Research Centre at the University of the West of England, Bristol.


A book based on papers given at the EURA Warsaw conference ‘Cities in City Regions’ has just been published:

THE RE-CREATION OF THE EUROPEAN CITY. GOVERNANCE, TERRITORY AND POLYCENTRICITY (opens pdf). Rob Atkinson and Cristiana Rossignolo (eds) October 2008

ISBN 978 90 8594 022 7, €47.50. Published by Techne Press

Cities and city regions have become key drivers of national and European economic development and, at the same time, have become nodes of new forms of societal interaction, calling for a major role in territorial and social development and addressing issues of sustainability and social cohesion. With these changes, the effects of spatial and urban planning on economic development and on territorial and social cohesion have become relevant.

The Re-creation of the European City investigates the position of regions and cities and presents different views of how cities and regions are conceived and planned at different scales in different European contexts. It reveals some shared assumptions and approaches, while simultaneously illustrating the continuing importance of national contexts in institutional and organisational traditions, social and policy history, and, in the largest sense, the process of change itself.

The contributions advance our understanding of cities, in some cases pointing towards the resurgence of cities. One clear conclusion that emerges is that different approaches and different solutions have been developed in response to common problems. However, at the same time what also emerges is that there is a common context for all these practices - the European Union. Cities and regions are where Europe’s future is being made.

Table of contents

Introduction: European Debates on Spatial and Urban Development and Planning

Part I: The “European City” in the European Union—Urban policy and the objective of Territorial Cohesion in Europe—The polycentric ‘vocation’ of European territories— Policies and practices in the south of Italy—

Part II: Re-thinking the varsity state in Scotland’s city-regions—Urban sprawl and planning policy in Europe—Mapping the cities of the Randstad Holland—National planning systems and the emergence of city-region planning in England and France—City-regions as territorial pacts and institutional ‘concertation’ in a devolved Scotland—Trends in interactions between cities and surroundings—The battle between retailers and planners

Conclusions: Urban and Spatial Planning in Europe— List of contributors — Index

For further information or to order

Techne Press
Haarlemmerdijk 133
1013 KG Amsterdam
The Netherlands
Tel: +31 20 6150207
Fax: +31 20 4892646
Web: www.technepress.nl


Civitas per Populi have published a new book which focuses on theoretical approaches and experience with European Common Indicator´s set in the Czech Republic and on a key study in the city of Hradec Králové.

Sustainable Development Indicators. Theoretical Approaches and Experience in the Czech Republic. Hradec Králové Key Study

Vladimíra Šilhánková (ed.) Civitas per Populi, 2007

The issue of (permanently) sustainable development has been mentioned and discussed more and more in this decade. An ever growing number of institutions, governmental agencies and local authorities profess these principles. However, not that many of these try to introduce/ implement them into a real life situation. A number of these institutions, namely local authorities would like to implement the principles of sustainable development, but the existing options, methodologies and approaches are often far too theoretical and fragmented thus making the practical implementation very difficult (mainly in smaller municipalities). Therefore our objective and subsequently the objective of this brochure, which was produced within the project of the Sustainable Development Indicators as a Tool for Monitoring and Decreasing Disparities in the Population Level of Individual Regions supported from the programme of the Ministry for Regional Development of the Czech Republic aimed at research and development under the title of “Research for Regional Disparity Solution”, is to support the options of the implementation of the sustainable development principles on a local level. Since there is a quite integrated and stabilised methodology for introducing the sustainable development principles in the planning processes in the form of the Local Agenda 21, we endeavour to create a tool for monitoring the progress of the Local Agenda 21 or more precisely a Tool for Monitoring any Planning Processes on a Local Level. Creating a mutually interconnected system of monitoring the sustainable development indicators, employable at a local, micro-regional and regional level for monitoring disparities in the regional development. The submitted brochure is the first interim result of our efforts where we have tried to map out the “good practice” and demonstrate with a study case both the possibilities of the actual indicator monitoring and mutual indicator co-ordination and interconnection with planning procedures and documents of the municipality. Obviously, even in this described study case everything is not as it ideally could be, but in our opinion it is a very inspirational example and in many aspects “well worth following”.

The publication is available at: www.civitasperpopuli.org and www.timur.cz

or e-mail:: civitasperpopuli@volny.cz 

This publication was produced within the research for the Ministry for Regional Development in relation to the research project WD- 69-07-4 Sustainable Development Indicators as a Tool for Monitoring Disparities and thanks to the financial support of the Municipality of Hradec Králové.


Book cover of: Disadvantaged by where you live? Smith, I., Lepine, E. and Taylor, M. (eds) (2007) Disadvantaged by where you live? Neighbourhood governance in contemporary urban policy

Disadvantaged by where you live? distils lessons from work on neighbourhoods carried out within the Cities Research Centre of the University of the West of England over the past seven years. It offers a major contribution to academic debates on the neighbourhood both as a sphere of governance and as a point of public service delivery under New Labour since 1997.


The book explores:

  • How ‘the neighbourhood’ has been used in policy in the UK?
  • What is the ‘appropriate contribution’ of neighbourhood governance and how does this relate to concepts of multi-level governance?
  • What tensions are visible at the neighbourhood level? And what does this tell us about wider governance issues?

The book explores and reflects on the notion of neighbourhood governance from a variety of perspectives that reflect the unique depth and breadth of the Centre’s research programme. Neighbourhood governance is examined in relation to: multi-level governance and cityregions; local government; mainstreaming; cross-national differences in neighbourhood policy; community and civil society; diversity; different conceptions of democracy; and, evaluation and learning. In doing so, the book identifies useful conceptual tools for analysing the present and future contribution of policy to neighbourhoods.

Policy Press (www.policypress.org.uk)
ISBN: 978 1 86134 894 4 £24.99

For further details or to order a copy:

Marston Book Services
PO Box 269, Abingdon
Oxon OX14 4YN
UK

Tel: +44 (0)1235 465500
Fax: +44 (0)1235 465556
Email: direct.orders@marston.co.uk 

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We are delighted to announce the publication of:

Book cover of: Cities in City RegionsKlausen, J.E. and Swianiewicz, P. (eds) (2007) Cities in City Regions. Governing the Diversity  ISBN: 978-83-89502-62-9

A selection of papers presented at the EURA bi-annual conference 'Cities in City-Regions' on 11-14 May 2006 in Warsaw. Available September 2007 - download order form here.

Contents

Jan Erling Klausen, Pawel Swianiewicz - Cities in City Regions: Governing the Diversity

Part I. The Dynamics of Social Diversity in Metropolitan Areas

Andrzej Lisowski - The Centralisation and Decentralisation Processes in the Warsaw Metropolitan Area in the Years 1950-2002

Zohreh Daneshpour - Spatial Inequality and Dislocation in Tehran’s Urban Region

Zhan McIntyre - Mixing it Up: Social Impacts of Using Gentrification as a Tool for Creating Social Diversity

Part II. Managing the Diversity of Metropolitan Areas

Iradj Asadi - Models of Metropolitan Regionalism: a Comprehensive View

Donald F. Norris, Don Phares, Tonya Zimmerman - Why Metropolitan Government Has Not Been Adopted in the United States and Why It Will Not Be Anytime Soon?

Marta Lackowska - Metropolitan Governance in Poland: Is Voluntary Co-operation Condemned to Failure?

Panos Getimis, Nikos K. Hlepas - From Fragmentation and Sectoralisation to Integration Through Metropolitan Governance? The Athens Olympics As a Catalytic Mega-Event

Richard Morin, Jean-Marc Fontan, Pierre Hamel, Eric Shragge - Community Organisations and Local Development in a Metropolitan Region: Does Local Place Matter?

Alexander Tölle - Major Revitalisation Projects as Catalysts for Metropolitan Governance Structures? Creating Partnerships in Greater Lyon, Hamburg Metropolitan Region, and Gdansk TricityAgglomeration

For further details or to order a copy:

Editorial Office
Faculty of Geography and Regional Studies
University of Warsaw
Krakowskie Przedmiescie 30 00927
Warsaw
POLAND

Email: zako@uw.edu.pl
Fax: +48 22 55 21 521

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Bahn, C. and Loepfe, A. (2007) Urban Management: A Value-Based Approach for Spatial Planning

In the real estate development process are several key actors involved who have different conceptions of how and which kind of value within real estate projects is to be obtained. Architects focus on the aesthetic quality of buildings and define value as contribution to the cultural uniqueness of areas. Urban designer judge real estate projects by their functional contribution to the master plan of urban development. Investors and developers however are particularly interested in a high cash flow over the entire life cycle of properties. The diverse disciplinary backgrounds and objectives of these key actors lead frequently to conflicts in the development process and hinder the public permission of real estate projects. Urban management as a new approach for spatial planning shall contribute to the overcoming of the linguistic confusion which is inherent in the real estate development process. Key idea of the urban management approach is the maximization of the land value of an outlined area as central indicator for the well-being of the inhabitants and other users of space. As e.g. the aesthetic quality of buildings and larger areas as well as the quality of the public infrastructure are reflected in the land value, this indicator allows managing not only the economic but social and aesthetic betterment of a certain area. Therefore, the public welfare could be better served by an urban management approach than by the more traditional, prohibitive approach of spatial planning.

For further details:

Dr Christopher Bahn
Programme Manager
CUREM AG
Schanzeneggstr. 1
8002 Zürich
SWITZERLAND

Tel.: +41 44 208 99 98
Fax: +41 44 208 99 90
Email: c.bahn@curem.ch

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Hambleton, R. and Gross, J. (eds) (2007) Governing cities in a global era. Urban innovation, competition and democratic reform

Palgrave. ISBN 1 4039 7673

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Richards, G. and Wilson, J. (eds) (2007) Tourism, Creativity and Development
Series: Contemporary Geographies of Leisure, Tourism and Mobility
ISBN: 9780415427562; ISBN-10: 0415427568
Publisher: Routledge; Publication Date: 11/12/2007
List Price: £80.00 (hardback, possible paperback version in future)
Now available for Pre-order from http://www.routledge.com/ 

This book analyzes, in critical terms, the impact and effectiveness of creative strategies and charts the emergence of 'creative tourism'. A wide range of examples from Europe, North America, Asia, Australia and Africa explore the interface between tourism and creativity including: creative spaces and places such as cultural and creative clusters and ethnic precincts, the role of the creative industries and entrepreneurs in the creation of experiences, creativity and rural areas, the 'creative class' and tourism, lifestyle, creativity and tourism and marketing creative tourism destinations. The diverse multidisciplinary contributions link theory and practice, and demonstrate the strengths and weaknesses of creativity as a tourism development strategy and marketing tool, the relationship between individual and collective forms of creativity and the widely differing forms of modern tourism.

Contact:

Julie Wilson Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona/University of the West of England
E-mail: Julie.wilson@uwe.ac.uk

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Barnes, M., Newman, J. and Sullivan, H. (2007) Power, participation and political renewal: Case studies in public participation

Public participation is central to a wide range of current public policies – not only in the UK, but elsewhere in the developed and the developing world. There are substantial aspirations for what enhanced participation can achieve. This book offers a critical examination of both the discourse and practice of participation in order to understand the significance of this explosion in participatory forums, and the extent to which such practices represent a fundamental change in governance.

Based on 17 case studies across a range of policy areas in two English cities, the authors address key issues such as: the way in which notions of the public are constructed; the motivation of participants; how the interests and identities of officials and citizens are negotiated within forums; and the ways in which institutions enable and constrain the development of participation initiatives.

Much of the literature on public participation is highly normative. This book draws from detailed empirical work, theories of governance, of deliberative democracy and social movements to offer a nuanced account of the dynamics of participation and to suggest why experiences of this can be frustrating as well as transformative.

ISBN 978 1 86134 667 4 (pb) £24.99
ISBN 978 1 86134 668 1 (hb) £65.00

Contact:

Professor Helen Sullivan
University of the West of England
E-mail: Helen.sullivan@uwe.ac.uk

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Sullivan, H. (2007) Interpreting community leadership in English local government, Policy and Politics, 35(1) pp141-162

 

Contact: helen.sullivan@uwe.ac.uk

 

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