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Activity Funded

Centro for Innovation in Territory, Urbanism and Architecture

Centro para a Inovação em Território, Urbanismo e Arquitetura

Reference
UIDP/05703/2020
Project Start Date
2020-01-01
Project End Date
2024-12-31
Principal Investigator
Scientific Area
Humanities
Funding Program
Concurso de avaliação no âmbito do Programa Plurianual de Financiamento de Unidades de I&D (2017/2018) - Financiamento Programático

Abstract

10.2 Summary in English for general dissemination purposes Will we succeed in creating the “ideal city” some day? Can we plan and give coherence to changing cities? Do we have the capacity to build inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable urban environments, occupied by millions of people and requiring huge investments, where all kinds of new problems, including climate change and natural hazards, may affect their social, environmental and economic performance? CiTUA is a new multidisciplinary R&D Unit housed at Instituto Superior Tecnico (IST), bringing together 2 groups that have worked for the past 2 decades at IST Civil Engineering R&D centre (CERIS), operating in the area of Territory, Urbanism and Architecture. It covers some of the most interesting contemporary research topics directly impacting on the quality of urban life, and promises to expand the role of urbanism and architecture in the search for solutions that will help to construct a fairer and more equitable city. Research in this field demands well-organised strategies, combining fundamental multidisciplinary and applied research, advanced training and links between research and practice. Particularly significant is the difficulty of regulating and governing contemporary cities, with all of their new problems and contradictions. The need to ensure territorial and social cohesion, to guarantee collective identities and historical legacies, to create, adapt and manage equipment and infrastructures, including accessibility networks and public spaces, to recover and protect both the natural and the built heritage, to adopt smart city strategies, all requires integrated interventions, whether localised or in-depth. This implies heavy investment in the construction of new theoretical and methodological knowledge capable of describing and modelling emerging urban contexts, simulating performance, testing changes and evaluating implications. Only then will it be possible to obtain adequate responses, propose solutions adapted to the diversity of contexts, and formulate policies and strategies of governance. CITUA mission is to develop the knowledge base needed to deal with the complexity and diversity of these problems and to empower higher education and research in EU context by focusing on advanced training, disseminating the work already done and creating links with other entities outside the university. Its main aims are to document and research the theories, processes and methodologies involved in the (re)construction of urban territories and their built spaces, to evaluate models of governance and financial and management procedures, and to inform the debate about their future. The range of competences displayed by CITUA members allows for their relevant participation in advanced research and training programmes at postdoctoral, doctoral and master's degree level, promoting both international and national academic and scientific cooperation and consulting with the public andthe private sector and third sector organisations. 10.3 Summary in English for evaluation Will we succeed in creating the “ideal city” some day? Can we plan and give coherence to changing cities? Do we have the capacity to build inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable urban environments, occupied by millions of people and requiring huge investments, where all kinds of new problems, including climate change and natural hazards, may affect their social, environmental and economic performance? CiTUA is a multidisciplinary R&D Unit housed at Instituto Superior Tecnico (IST), bringing together 2 groups that have worked for the past 2 decades at IST's Civil Engineering R&D centre (CERIS), operating in the area of Territory, Urbanism and Architecture. It covers some of the most interesting contemporary research topics directly impacting on the quality of urban life, and promises to expand the role of urbanism and architecture in the search for solutions that will help to construct a fairer and more equitable city. CiTUA mission is to develop the knowledge base needed to deal with the complexity and diversity of these problems and to empower higher education and research in the EU context by focusing on advanced training, disseminating the work already done and creating links to other entities operating outside the university. Research in this field requires well-organised strategies, combining fundamental and applied research, advanced training and links between research and practice. Particularly significant is the difficulty of regulating and governing contemporary cities, with all of their new problems and contradictions. It implies heavy investment in the construction of new theoretical and methodological knowledge capable of describing and modelling emerging urban contexts, simulating performance, testing changes and evaluating implications. Only then will it be possible to obtain adequate responses, propose solutions adapted to the diversity of contexts, and formulate policies and strategies of governance. CiTUA research activity covers the consolidated and the peripheral city, adopting a cross-disciplinary approach based on multiple space and time scales, ranging from the city-region to the individual building. The main aims are: to document and research the theories, processes and methodologies involved in the (re)construction of urban territories and their built spaces; to evaluate models of governance and financial and management procedures; and to inform the debate about their future. To ensure competitiveness, research over the next 5 years will follow the already established path, expanding the 5 core areas, according to the following strategic guidelines: PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT FOR THE ENLARGED CITY. The main goals are the development of new planning and management approaches emerging from problems associated with rapid urban growth and the need to maintain the vitality and liveability of consolidated cities. Emphasis is placed on public policies faced with financial constraints and the new dynamics of the private sector. LANDSCAPE AS A SOCIAL-ECOLOGICAL SYSTEM. The main goals are the development of resource-efficient and sustainable building designs based on energy use, users perceptions of comfort and their respective behaviour; implementing adaptations to climate changes on a local scale; making landscape identity operational in planning practice; developing innovative approaches to conflict resolution between competing ecosystem services; adopting methods for engaging communities in collaborative design processes; and conceptualising community-based monitoring processes. SPATIAL JUSTICE. The main goals are to tackle spatial inequalities, promote socio-metropolitan cohesion, in a context of either urban growth or decline; develop spatial models to promote healthy territories, housing affordability and more equitable mobility and accessibility solutions for vulnerable user communities under innovative processes of shared/collaborative governance. HERITAGE. The main goals are to use heritage as a resource tool in design practice; improving strategies for the reuse of built structures and public spaces, considering comfort and security standards for practical and sustainable building design. KNOWLEDGE ENVIRONMENTS. The main goals are to assess the spatial impact of ever-changing educational foci; to develop spatial models capable of fostering socially inclusive urban educational territories and dynamic hubs of knowledge-sharing; to address the costs and benefits of innovative interventions, including engaging the local community in decision-making. Emphasis will also be placed on PRACTICE-BASED RESEARCH, involving a reflection upon the state of architecture and urban education and practice, and the development of integrative design platforms and collaborative design tools. A strong effort will be made to pursue advanced training for MSc and PhD students and post-doc researchers. Major programs include the IST MSc programs in Architecture and Urban Planning and the PhD programs in Architecture and Territorial Engineering, as well as the joint PhD with EPFL in Architecture. Another major target is to promote a specific research career for young PhD holders working in close international collaboration. Joint appointments with the 12 CLUSTER universities, including EPFL, Delft, Leuven, UPC, Tsinghua, are planned for the coming years. CiTUA will enhance its contribution to society by improving the links to practice, offering training support to professional skills development and lifelong learning, and consulting with the public and private sectors and third sector organisations. It will also continue its outreach activities, through the organisation of seminars, design workshops, exhibitions and summer schools; cooperation with public, private and third sector organisations; participation in national mass media scientific programs. In all of these contributions, the adoption of the built environment paradigm as an educational agent is a major priority.

Institutions

Main Institutions

  • Centro para a Inovação em Território, Urbanismo e Arquitetura (CiTUA/IST-ID)
  • Associação do Instituto Superior Técnico para a Investigação e Desenvolvimento (IST-ID)

Funding 825.000,00 €

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

825.000,00 €