Porto, Portugal, Oct. 28, 2024 (Lusa) - A study by the University of Minho on the adaptation of tourism in Portugal's second city, Porto, to climate change recommends urgent and judicious planting of trees in Rua de Santa Catarina, Avenida dos Aliados, Via de Cintura Interna and Praça da República.
This is one of the preliminary conclusions of the scientific study entitled ‘Contributions to the adaptation of the tourism sector in the municipality of Porto to climate change through nature-based solutions’, carried out by researchers from the Geography Department of the Institute of Social Sciences at the University of Minho (U.Minho) and to which Lusa had access on Monday.
According to the study, Rua de Santa Catarina is one of the streets "considered problematic due to the lack of trees and the need to create a more pleasant space for tourists and residents, as it is one of the city's main shopping areas".
The project's principal investigator, Hélder Silva Lopes, a professor in the Department of Geography at the Institute of Social Sciences at U. Minho and researcher at the Landscapes, Heritage and Territory Laboratory (Lab2PT) and the Associated Laboratory for Research and Innovation in Heritage, Arts, Sustainability and Territory (IN2PAST), in the areas of human and social geography, citizen science, tourism and its connection to climate change, warned of the need for urban tree planting on the Via de Cintura Interna (VCI), Pinto Bessa and Miguel Bombarda streets, Avenida dos Aliados and Praça da República, as well as Santa Catarina.
The Júlio Dinis Maternity Hospital area was also mentioned.
Alongside these identified areas, previous studies have shown the extent of an area particularly vulnerable to extreme heat, within the Central Plateau, which passes through places such as Praça do Marquês, Jardim de Arca d' Água, Avenida de França and the area downstream from Lapa.
This study analysed the period between 29 July and 9 September, using questionnaire inquiries and interviews with 124 tourists and residents of Porto, who were asked to identify areas in need of " tree planting and shading" and to contribute to improving the intervention of political decision-makers in defining strategies for adapting public spaces to climate change.
A dozen experts from various scientific and technical fields were also consulted in order to prioritise areas for applied research at local level.
The preliminary results of the scientific study recommend the "urgent need to implement adaptation measures using nature-based solutions, such as the strategic placement of native trees to mitigate the effects of climate change, namely in tourist areas of the city of Porto and to improve the quality of life of the city's residents".
It was concluded that the integration of nature-based solutions into urban planning, such as urban tree planting, ecological corridors, urban gardens or permeable pavements, and the "consideration of the territory in a holistic way is essential to face the challenges of climate change".
Porto was chosen as the territory to analyse because it is one of Portugal's "most densely populated cities, where the tourism sector plays an important role".
The study argues that it is "imperative to implement measures that improve the comfort and well-being of residents and tourists, particularly in a context in which the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change predicts an increase in extreme meteorological phenomena, such as heat waves".
"The data highlights the need to reinvent the city" and it is hoped that the study will be a "starting point for the inclusion of nature-based solutions in the formulation of climate adaptation policies and strategies in Portugal that prioritise resilience and urban and tourist sustainability", said the researcher.
The research will continue in 2025.
CCM/AYLS // AYLS
Lusa
