The management of water heritage in Portuguese cities: recent regeneration projects in Évora, Lisbon, Braga and Guimarães

Description

Given the cultural and environmental potential presented by historical water infra-structures in urban contexts, this article states the evidence of a not much documented urbanphenomenon in Portugal, the refurbishment of water heritage protected areas motivated byEuropean-based regeneration projects. By employing a case-study design, four good practices-placed in E ́vora, Lisbon, Braga and Guimara ̃es-are chosen to enlighten this growing and awaretrend. The assets located there -the A ́gua de Prata Aqueduct, the A ́guas Livres Aqueduct, theSete Fontes water-supply system and the Zona de Couros industrial area, respectively-aregeographical, historical and culturally characterised, while the projects that concern themare documented by visiting the areas and analysing the available sources. Then, open-dataplatforms and heritage protection decrees are processed to graphically code the topography,hydrology, urban land use, infrastructures, landmarks and protected areas, employing QGISfree software for Geographic Information Systems. As a result, the four practices are documen-ted, discussed and compared. A table assesses and summarises their pre-existing and currentlyadded values and a series of diagrams illustrates the landscape changes generated. Thesegraphics validate the practices and update the status of the assets, enhancing the rediscoveryof the existing landscapes and showing the main challenges and future opportunities faced bythese areas

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