Improving life in a changing urban environment through Biophilic Design (BIODES)

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Urban river recovery inspired by nature-based solutions and biophilic design in Albufeira, Portugal

Publication . Blau, Marie; Luz, Frieder; Panagopoulos, Thomas

Mass urbanisation presents one of the most urgent challenges of the 21st century. The development of cities and the related increasing ground sealing are asking even more for the restoration of urban rivers, especially in the face of climate change and its consequences. This paper aims to demonstrate nature-inspired solutions in a recovery of a Southern European river that was canalised and transformed in culvert pipes. The river restoration project naturally tells the history of the city, creates a sense for the place, as well as unifying blue-green infrastructure in a symbolic way by offering areas for recreation. To improve well-being and city resilience in the long term, a regenerative sustainability approach based on biophilic design patterns was proposed. Such actions will provide greater health, social cohesion, and well-being for residents and simultaneously reduce the risks of climate change, such as heat island effect and flash floods, presenting the benefits of the transition to a regenerative economy and holistic thinking.

2018Journal article

Open Access

Stakeholders’ perceptions of appropriate nature-based solutions in the urban context

Publication . Ferreira, Vera; Barreira, Ana; Loures, Luís; Antunes, Dulce; Panagopoulos, Thomas

The concept of nature-based solutions (NBSs) has become increasingly popular among urban policymakers and planners to help them tackle the urban challenges arising from urban expansion and climate change. Stakeholders' involvement is a fundamental step, and stakeholders' perceptions and preferences can affect the development of NBS projects. This study aims to identify stakeholders' perceptions of the most critical urban challenges, the priority interventions, the preferred NBSs and the benefits of the NBSs, and to identify the determinants of these perceptions. A survey was administered to assess stakeholders' perceptions and views on implementing NBSs in two Portuguese cities with distinct urban, geographical, and socio-economic contexts. A binary logistic regression model was used to understand the determinants of the likelihood of the stakeholders' answers. According to the stakeholders, climate change is one of the main concerns in the urban context. It is usually associated with the incidence of heatwaves and water scarcity. Additionally, stakeholders are concerned about the low quantity and poor management of green spaces (GSs). They believe that it will be necessary to increase the GS, to recover some degraded areas, and to increase mobility. The preferred NBSs were planting more urban trees, making green shaded areas, and rehabilitating riverbanks. The main expected benefits were benefits for leisure and relaxation, reductions in air temperature, purer air, and improvements in public health. The results showed mostly coherent connections between the main concerns/priorities of the stakeholders and the perceived NBS benefits; however, some stakeholders did not present coherent connections, indicating low awareness of the current policy for implementing NBSs to overcome existing and future urban challenges.

2021Journal article

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Designing healing destinations: a practical guide for Eco-Conscious Tourism Development

Publication . Blau, Marie Luise; Panagopoulos, Thomas

The design and sustainable development of tourist destinations in sensitive environments must follow an environmentally conscious approach that meets the resource and service needs of present and future generations without compromising the health of the ecosystems that provide them. The aim of this paper is to develop an eco-conscious design framework for tourist destinations in sensitive natural areas, as these are becoming increasingly attractive and popular in the tourism sector. This paper gives an overview of relevant fields of impact at the destination, which are drawn from holistic and nature-based approaches. The outcome is a three-dimensional design guidance, which creates a unique destination that focuses on creating a symbiotic relationship between humans and nature in which health is achievable for both. The approach was exemplified in a “Yoga house on a Cliff” architectural competition that took place in Serra da Estrela Natural Park in Portugal. The landscape was analysed with the Strolling method and the 3-dimensional design framework was used to design an authentic place in the prtotected mountain. Permaculture and nature-based solutions were used to structure the design and its elements wth a focus on environmental sustainability and the improvement of human health. This study provides evidence that an eco-conscious design has the potential to overcome incompatibilities and provide health-driven ecotourism in protected areas.

2022-09-17Journal article

Open Access

Understanding attitudes towards the adoption of nature-based solutions and policy priorities shaped by stakeholders’ awareness of climate change

Publication . Ferreira, Vera; Barreira, Ana; Pinto, Patrícia; Panagopoulos, Thomas

Climate change is affecting cities worldwide. Accordingly, cities are required to find sustainable solutions to tackle climate change's effects, designing bottom-up policies to enhance their success. The involvement of stakeholders plays a central role in the definition of appropriate policies to tackle the challenges posed to cities by climate change. Nature-based solutions (NBS) are increasingly proposed to adapt to and mitigate the adverse effects of climate change. This study aims to assess the coherence of the policies emerging from stakeholders' perceptions of urban climate challenges and their preferred NBS to tackle them. Indeed, it considers whether departing from different urban climate challenges, stakeholders' choices present a coherent articulation between priority interventions, proposed solutions and expected benefits. Using a survey applied to two Portuguese cities and the chi-squared automatic interaction detector (CHAID) algorithm, we analyse the answers provided by stakeholders. The stakeholders' perceptions and preferences were not significantly influenced by their hierarchical position in their institutions, their city's location and socioeconomic setting. Heatwaves and temperature rise together with drought and water scarcity are identified as future urban challenges in Portugal. Priority interventions, as well as preferred NBS and their expected benefits, are addressed. The results show that stakeholders may make decisions that form a coherent policy, in which acknowledgment of climate change's effects interconnects with related priority interventions, suitable NBS and their benefits.

2022-05Journal article

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Modeling nature-based and cultural recreation preferences in mediterranean regions as opportunities for smart tourism and diversification

Publication . Samora-Arvela, André; Ferreira, Jorge; Vaz, Eric; Panagopoulos, Thomas

The tourism and recreational o er of Mediterranean destinations involves, essentially, the promotion of mass tourism, based on the appeal of the sun and beach, and the quality of its coastal assets. Alongside the impacts of climate change, poor tourism diversification represents a threat to the resilience of the territory. Thus, heterogenization of noncoastal tourism products presents an opportunity to strengthen regional resilience to present and future challenges, hence the need to study, comparatively, the complementary preferences of tourists and residents of these regions in order to unveil their willingness to diversify their recreational experience, not only in coastal spaces, but also—and especially—in interior territories with low urban density. Consequently, this strategic option may represent a way of strengthening resilience and sustainability through diversification. In this context, a survey was conducted among 400 beach tourists and 400 residents of a case study—namely, three municipalities of the Algarve region in southern Portugal—in order to analyze their degree of preference for activities besides the sun and beach, such as nature-based and cultural tourism activities, and to probe the enhancement potential of each tourism and recreational activity through the various landscape units considered by experts, stakeholders, and tour operators. The respective degree of preference and enhancement potential were indexed to the area of each landscape unit. Subsequently, respecting the existing recreational structure and constraints, a suitability map for territory enhancement and the implementation of smart tourism practices for each tourism activity and landscape unit is presented. Results show a significant preference for noncoastal outdoor recreational activities.

2020-01Journal article

Open Access