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The Danish studio Bjarke Ingels Group won the international architectural competition
He also suggested that the city’s population is largely ‘climate illiterate’
Last week, the University of Minho (Portugal) organized a seminar called “Adaptation strategies for urban tourism in the face of climate change within a framework of post-pandemic opportunities”. What drew attention there was a study on climate change in the Porto Metropolitan Area done by geographer Hélder Lopes, who claimed that the city needs to create ‘climate shelters’ in order to withstand the impact of weather fluctuations.
The researcher, who is also working at U Minho, focused on the areas which attracted the greatest tourist concentrations, which were also the areas that trapped most urban heat. He also identified other areas which, on the other hand, experienced harsher cold waves during the winter. In his opinion, there needs to be strategic intervention in these zones so that the city would become more comfortable for its residents and visitors.
Mr Lopes’ methodology involved microclimatic measurements and questionnaire surveys of tourists during the summer of 2019 and the winters of 2019 and 2020. The team involved in the research concluded that in Porto the areas most susceptible to urban heat are: the one that surrounds the statue of D. Pedro IV and the one immediately north of the sculpture “Abundância/Os Meninos” by Henrique Moreira.
“It is necessary to create climate refuges that allow people to protect themselves in the face of a heatwave. Then there is the issue of refuge from cold situations because when we talk about Porto, winter is also very harsh. We have to make decisions that meet these problems,” reiterated the researcher, as quoted by the Lusa news agency.
The areas most susceptible to the cold are those that are forested next to the Ardina statue and, in the north part, near the City Hall building.
Convinced that “climate illiteracy” encompasses the population, senior technicians and policymakers, Hélder Lopes stressed the need to guarantee the “thermoregulation” of urban areas if the society wanted to get serious about making the city a more livable place.
The REPowerEU 200 billion-euro plan calls for a gradual reduction of Russian fuel imports
The summer ticket will be valid on local and regional trains, buses, as well as on the U-Bahn and S-Bahn
The Danish studio Bjarke Ingels Group won the international architectural competition
The city also added a new bathing area
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Explore the underbelly of the city’s most iconic site in the moonlit hours
The REPowerEU 200 billion-euro plan calls for a gradual reduction of Russian fuel imports
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The new Walking and Cycling Index shows that an overwhelming majority want to live in 20-minute neighbourhoods
The city also added a new bathing area
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These will be spread across 11 EU countries and will serve to support the EU Missions
The European Commission has accepted to develop the idea
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