| Summary: |
The main goal of this exploratory project is to contribute to the promotion of sustainable mobility for those sections of the population of the population who, due to their age and some restrictions in terms of personal mobility, do not always have easy access to urban spaces and transport system components. Although until now the size of this population could be considered to be balanced with that of the younger population, it is now expanding throughout Europe, with the number of people aged over 65 exceeding the number of people under 18 in many countries. Europe's population pyramid shows the distribution of the 503 million men and women in the European Union (based on EU27 countries in 2012) as a "constricted pyramid", which is typical of developed societies with low fertility and mortality rates and with relatively older populations. The population aged 15-64 years old is 335 million (66%), while about one fifth of the total population is over 65 years old (100 million - 20%). There are There are only 78 million children aged 0-14 years (15%). A large part of the ageing population of cities is concentrated in urban centres, inhabiting older buildings. By definition, and in most of these cities, these areas are also those with historical monuments and other tourist attraction factors. Senior tourism is also a consequence of the general ageing of the population and is increasing. This panorama makes urban centres, namely the historical ones, as places where a greater number of elderly people are concentrated compared to other areas of the city, both residents and visitors. It has been found that neither the urban public space nor the transport system are optimally suited to the mobility needs of these groups. Thus, this exploratory project focused primarily on the literature review concerning the adequacy of urban space, at the level of urban design and infrastructures, as regards routes and as regards pedestrian access, both to buildings and to the access po  |
Summary
The main goal of this exploratory project is to contribute to the promotion of sustainable mobility for those sections of the population of the population who, due to their age and some restrictions in terms of personal mobility, do not always have easy access to urban spaces and transport system components. Although until now the size of this population could be considered to be balanced with that of the younger population, it is now expanding throughout Europe, with the number of people aged over 65 exceeding the number of people under 18 in many countries. Europe's population pyramid shows the distribution of the 503 million men and women in the European Union (based on EU27 countries in 2012) as a "constricted pyramid", which is typical of developed societies with low fertility and mortality rates and with relatively older populations. The population aged 15-64 years old is 335 million (66%), while about one fifth of the total population is over 65 years old (100 million - 20%). There are There are only 78 million children aged 0-14 years (15%). A large part of the ageing population of cities is concentrated in urban centres, inhabiting older buildings. By definition, and in most of these cities, these areas are also those with historical monuments and other tourist attraction factors. Senior tourism is also a consequence of the general ageing of the population and is increasing. This panorama makes urban centres, namely the historical ones, as places where a greater number of elderly people are concentrated compared to other areas of the city, both residents and visitors. It has been found that neither the urban public space nor the transport system are optimally suited to the mobility needs of these groups. Thus, this exploratory project focused primarily on the literature review concerning the adequacy of urban space, at the level of urban design and infrastructures, as regards routes and as regards pedestrian access, both to buildings and to the access points of the transport system. Two case studies were developed, one in Coimbra and another one in Porto (historic centres). The characteristics of the resident elderly population were studied, in the zones of residence, and the characteristics of the public space in the hotel and tourist attraction zones, in order to identify the needs and shortcomings. This process was also concerned with creating social innovation by holding participative and dynamic collaboration sessions with this population, gauging more accurately what their needs and aspirations are. From the combination of the bibliographical review and the evaluation work of the case studies, a methodology will be elaborated to diagnose and classify historic central spaces, particularly those that are the target of urban regeneration operations, as to their suitability in terms of mobility and accessibility within and outside the study area, for the resident and visiting older population. |
| Results: |
Uma disseminação robusta conduziu ao impacto do projeto nos meios de comunicação social. Foram concedidas várias entrevistas a jornais nacionais e regionais, bem como a canais de rádio e televisão (ex.: SIC Notícias; Lusa – Agência de Notícias de Portugal; TSF Rádio Notícias, Rádio Antena 1, etc.). As notícias sobre o projeto foram publicadas em mais de 20 suportes diferentes. Foi assegurado um calendário constante de participação da equipa do projeto em diversos eventos nacionais e internacionais. Lista de eventos onde o projeto foi apresentado:
- MIT_CONFERENCE_2018 - Culturgest in Lisbon, 01-10-2018.
- The CITTA 11th Annual Conference on Planning Research, FCTUC - DEC, 24-10-2018.
- NECTAR-Cluster 6 - Workshop, Gran Canaria, 14-12-2018.
- The 16th Meeting of the Transport Studies Group, GET, Penela, 07/08-01-2019.
- Porto4Aging Event, Porto, 24-05-2019.
- The 9th Portuguese Road Congress, National Civil Engineering Laboratory (LNEC), Lisbon, 28/30-05-2019.
- The 15th International NECTAR Conference, Helsinki, 05/07-06-2019 (published Edward Elgar Publisher - book chapter).
- The Aesop International Conference - ‘Special Session’, Venice, 09/13-07-2019.
- The CITTA Conference, 09/20-09-2019.
- Inovação Fora de Portas – Porto Innovation Hub - “From Planning to City Management”– Porto Municipality, 03-12-2019.
- Presentation in the MIT Age-Lab, Boston, 16-01-2020.
- Presentation in the Columbia University Aging Centre, Columbia_AgingCentre, 20-01-2020. |
| Observations: |
A robust dissemination led to the impact of the project in the media. Several interviews were granted to national and regional newspapers, as well as radio and television channels (e.g. SIC Notícias; Lusa - Agência de Notícias de Portugal; TSF Rádio Notícias, Rádio Antena 1, etc.). News about the project was published in more than 20 different media. A constant calendar of participation by the project team in various national and international events was ensured. List of events where the project was presented:
- MIT_CONFERENCE_2018 - Culturgest in Lisbon, 01-10-2018.
- The CITTA 11th Annual Conference on Planning Research, FCTUC - DEC, 24-10-2018.
- NECTAR-Cluster 6 - Workshop, Gran Canaria, 14-12-2018.
- The 16th Meeting of the Transport Studies Group, GET, Penela, 07/08-01-2019.
- Porto4Aging Event, Porto, 24-05-2019.
- The 9th Portuguese Road Congress, National Civil Engineering Laboratory (LNEC), Lisbon, 28/30-05-2019.
- The 15th International NECTAR Conference, Helsinki, 05/07-06-2019 (published Edward Elgar Publisher - book chapter).
- The Aesop International Conference - ‘Special Session’, Venice, 09/13-07-2019.
- The CITTA Conference, 09/20-09-2019.
- Inovação Fora de Portas – Porto Innovation Hub - “From Planning to City Management”– Porto Municipality, 03-12-2019.
- Presentation in the MIT Age-Lab, Boston, 16-01-2020.
- Presentation in the Columbia University Aging Centre, Columbia_AgingCentre, 20-01-2020. |
| URL: |
https://mobiage.dec.uc.pt/pt-pt/ |