Speaker
Description
Approximately fifteen years after the Global Financial Crisis (GFC), land use planning practices worldwide have shown limited evolution, even in regions deeply affected by austerity measures and reduced public spending. Furthermore, critical research on the interplay between crisis, austerity, and urban dynamics often neglects the domain of land use planning, leaving a gap in addressing the challenges faced by planners on the ground. This oversight is particularly significant in areas characterized by extended urbanization, such as Portugal.
In Portugal, the austerity measures implemented in response to the GFC exposed critical vulnerabilities in the country’s spatial planning system. These vulnerabilities include its inherent rigidity and inability to adapt to socio-spatial realities marked by dispersed urbanization, as well as ongoing demographic and economic decline. This context underscored the need for innovative planning approaches capable of addressing the mismatch between land use practices and contemporary challenges.
This study employed action-research methodologies to investigate the potential opportunities presented by the crisis to reshape land use planning. Central to this effort was the development of a procedural tool, Infrastructures vs Building (IvB), which leverages infrastructure as a critical reference point for land use decision-making. IvB is designed to enhance the effectiveness of Portugal’s planning system by confronting expansionist urban paradigms and integrating quantified infrastructure data into land use classification processes.
The IvB tool serves a dual purpose. First, it acts as a diagnostic instrument, offering insights into the existing spatial dynamics and the adequacy of infrastructure in supporting urban development. Second, it provides a practical and adaptable platform that prioritizes infrastructure networks within the land use planning framework. By emphasizing the relationship between infrastructure and urbanization, IvB offers a means to align land use practices more closely with sustainable development goals.
While developed in the context of Portugal, the implications of the IvB tool extend beyond the national scale. The principles underlying its design and application—particularly the focus on infrastructure as a central organizing element in planning—are transferable to other regions facing similar challenges of dispersed urbanization, demographic shifts, and economic constraints. Thus, the IvB tool contributes not only to the evolution of Portugal’s planning system but also to broader debates on how land use planning can adapt to contemporary urban realities in a post-crisis world.
By bridging the gap between critical research and practical planning, this study demonstrates the potential for crisis-induced conditions to act as catalysts for innovation in land use planning. It highlights the importance of integrating infrastructure considerations into planning practices to overcome entrenched paradigms and address the socio-spatial complexities of extended urbanization.
References
Bourdin, A. (2011). O urbanismo depois da crise [Urbanism after the crisis]. Lisboa: Livros Horizonte.
Cardoso, R., Breda-Vázquez, I. (2007). Social justice as a guide to planning theory and practice: Analyzing the Portuguese planning system. International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, 31 (2), 384–400.
Carvalho, J., Moura e Sá, F., Pais, C., Gomes, P., Canas, M., Rocha Pinto, M. L., & Castro, E. A. (2013). Ocupação Dispersa: Custos e benefícios à escala local [Dispersed Occupation: Costs and benefits on a local scale]. Lisboa: Direção-Geral do Território.
Ferrão, J. (2011). O Ordenamento do Território como Política Pública [Spatial Planning as Public Policy]. Lisboa: Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian.
Graham, S., & Marvin, S. (2001). Splintering urbanism: Networked infrastructures, technological mobilities and the urban condition. London and New York: Routledge.
Harvey, D. (2005). A brief history of neoliberalism. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Moura e Sá, F. (2016). A Infraestrutura como Referencial para o Ordenamento do Território [Infrastructure as a Benchmark for Spatial Planning]. FAUP.
Peck, J. (2012). Austerity urbanism: American cities under extreme economy. City, 16(6), 626-655.
Portas, N., Domingues, Á., & Cabral, J. (2011). Políticas urbanas – Transformações, Regulação e Projectos [Urban Policies - Transformations, Regulation and Projects]. Lisboa: Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian.
| Keywords | Infrastructures, Land Use Planning, Sprawl, Austerity |
|---|---|
| Best Congress Paper Award | Yes |
