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Activity Funded

Research Centre for Territory, Transports and Environment

Centro de Investigação do Território, Transportes e Ambiente

Reference
UIDB/04427/2020
Project Start Date
2020-01-01
Project End Date
2024-12-31
Principal Investigator
Funding Program
Concurso de avaliação no âmbito do Programa Plurianual de Financiamento de Unidades de I&D (2017/2018) - Financiamento Base

Abstract

10.2 Summary in English for general dissemination purposes CITTA is a FEUP and FCTUC research unit dedicated to the advancement and dissemination of knowledge in the fields of Spatial Planning, Environmental Policy, and Transport Planning and Engineering. The CITTA Plan for 2018-2022 is anchored on the rich and diversified research experience of its members, organised into four research groups, and on the international relational capital of the Centre accumulated over the years. The Plan is structured around a clear vision of the Centre’s future and on a development strategy consubstantiated in a set of well-defined scientific and operational objectives. CITTA’s vision portrays an innovative, creative, dynamic and productive research centre, developing fundamental and applied research, of an inter- and multi-disciplinary nature, policy and design oriented, in the complementary fields of Spatial Planning, Environmental Policy and Transport Planning and Engineering. All our research focuses on the roles of cities, urban systems and transport infrastructure and services, considering the current climate change debate and from a distinctive post carbon paradigm perspective. Our research aims to be able to feed and influence the international research agenda without jeopardizing the potential of knowledge generation in the Portuguese context. Post carbon cities have been at the heart of CITTA’s scientific strategy, the unifying ground on which the diversity of the Centre’s four research groups is built. Effective, efficient and socially responsive adaptation and mitigation strategies are needed. In Spatial Planning and Transports Planning and Engineering, the research challenge is enormous, demanding a vast and multi-disciplinary agenda designed to facilitate the transferability of scientific knowledge into real-world practice. To implement the Centre’s ambitious strategy, human and material resources of different kinds have to come together in the right proportions and at the right time, to make the achievement of successful and long lasting results possible. The Plan foresees the moderate growth of CITTA, reaching 60 integrated researchers (with PhDs) by 2022. This growth may represent another significant increase in the annual output of articles in ISI or Scopus journals as was observed in the past with an impressive overall increase of 67% from 2008-2012 to 2013-2017, thereby consolidating the Centre as the national leader in the research fields of Planning and Transports. (Since 2008, CITTA has been responsible for approximately 40% of the articles in ISI or Scopus journals published annually in those fields by authors from Portuguese institutions). Besides publication, internationalisation and leadership, the 2018-2022 Plan also sets objectives for dissemination, knowledge transfer and advanced training, through the management of a number of PhD grants to be allocated to students on the FCT PhD Program in Spatial Planning and the MIT-Portugal PhD Program in Transport Systems. 10.3 Summary in English for evaluation The Activity Plan for 2018/2022 proposed by CITTA, hereafter just ‘Plan’, is driven by and further strengthens two strategic dimensions of this centre: Firstly, the research experience and knowledge of its staff and PhD students and secondly, the international relational capital accumulated throughout the history of a growing institution, bringing together researchers from the Universities of Porto and Coimbra. These teams decided to join forces in 2011 to gather the critical mass that a European research centre aiming for academic excellence and transformative societal impact requires. The Plan envisions an innovative, dynamic and productive research centre, developing fundamental and applied impact-driven research, of an inter- and multi-disciplinary nature, with a strong policy and design orientation. It integrates the fields of Spatial Planning, Environmental Policy, and Transport Planning and Engineering. The research conducted by CITTA specifically focuses on the role of cities, urban systems, and transport infrastructures and services in the current climate change debate, and from a distinctive post carbon paradigm perspective. It tackles four of the seven societal challenges of the Horizon 2020 Program, and is aimed at influencing the international research agenda while addressing in real terms the specific societal and technological challenges faced in Portugal. The 2018-2022 Plan is built on the current Development Plan (2015-2020). Due to the success of the previous period in both acquiring funding and delivering outputs, the internal organization and management processes of CITTA will not deviate significantly from those established before. These arrangements were consensually approved by the Scientific Council in 2011 and ratified in 2012 by the two host institutions, and are, over the years, proving to be successful. However, reflecting the Centre’s capacity to adapt and develop institutional capacity, a number of small changes and adjustments are being introduced, reflecting the lessons learned over the last three years. The academic activities of CITTA are collaboratively undertaken by four research groups. These are described below. The Planning and Environmental Assessment Research Group approaches the post-carbon city as an energy-efficient system making the best use of natural and human resources. This city is driven by a sustainable urban metabolism. It offers a healthy environment to its residents and users, who experience high accessibility levels to goods and services. To contribute to the achievement of this vision, this group studies how urban morphology, dynamics of growth or shrinkage, and bioclimatic design influence the overall urban energy performance and carbon footprint. The development of environmental policy instruments (e.g. metabolic impact assessment tools) also features in this group’s portfolio. The Urban Planning and Housing Research Group looks at the post-carbon city as a just and inclusive environment where social and spatial divides are addressed through responsive and transformative policies. The research conducted by this group is oriented towards facilitating the implementation of such policies. For that, the group critically studies concepts and processes such as institutional innovation, collective capacity building, and policy learning. Note that this research also serves to inform the governance of the centre itself. The co-production of systematic outcome-driven analytical approaches towards urban policies able to encompass and promote social diversity, fairness and urban justice principles, constitutes not only a key research topic, but also a policy ambition. The Transport Analysis and Planning Research Group analyses the post-carbon society as a connected environment from the urban to the global scales. At the urban scale, it pays particular attention to issues such as car-sharing, public transport and active modes of travelling such as walking and cycling.At wider geographical scales, the focus is on analysing modes of transport such as air, rail, and road travel. The goal is promoting more sustainable mobility from an integrated economic, social, health-related, and environmental standpoint. The Transport Engineering and Management Research Group looks at the post-carbon city as a safe mobile environment, scientifically developing and actively implementing speed management and traffic calming solutions through corporate initiatives, aimed at creating high-quality liveable pedestrian- and cycle-friendly urban environments. It promotes the recycling of materials and the life-cycle assessment of transport infrastructures. Improving the energy efficiency of urban transport infrastructures constitutes yet another research goal this group has been consistently addressing. The Plan foresees a moderate growth for CITTA over the next years: the centre will reach 60 integrated researchers (with PhDs) by 2022. This growth is expected to result from the steady admission of new full-time researchers in the period 2018-2022. This growth should represent a significant increase in the annual output of articles in ISI or Scopus journals, as was observed in the past with an impressive overall increase of 67% from 2008-2012 to 2013-2017, thus consolidating the leading national position of the Centre in the fields of Planning and Transports. Note that, since 2008, CITTA has been responsible for about 40% of the ISI or Scopus articles published annually in these fields by authors based in Portugal. Besides scientific, publication and human resources objectives, the 2018-2022 Plan also sets specific objectives for logistics, internationalisation, dissemination, funding, leadership and advanced training, in this case related to the PhD grants required by the development of the Doctoral Programmes in Spatial Planning and Transport Systems in which CITTA is strongly involved.

Institutions

Main Institutions

  • Centro de Investigação do Território Transportes e Ambiente (CITTA)
  • Universidade do Porto (UP)

Other Institutions

  • Universidade de Coimbra (UC)

Funding 935.062,32 €

Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) - Portugal

935.062,32 €