Presentation
Presentation
Maria Margarida Rebelo
Head of Unit/Senior Researcher
The Urban and Territorial Studies Unit carries out Research, Development & Innovation (RD&I) in the fields of architecture, urban planning, and social sciences, with a focus on three areas:
· The built environment in its various aspects.
· The urban and territorial dimensions of social, economic, and cultural development.
· The interaction between society and the built environment.
Taking advantage of its multidisciplinary nature, the Unit is committed to the collaborative creation of knowledge and value by:
· Encouraging interdisciplinary work.
· Interaction with other areas of specialised scientific and technical knowledge.
· Formulating innovative, integrated, and contextualised responses to societal problems.
The Urban and Territorial Studies Unit continues the RD&I work carried out by preceding research units at LNEC since the early 1960s.
For more information about the Unit, see the presentation leaflet.
Activity
The study of the relationship between society and the built environment is a common thread that unifies the activity of this Unit, which can be broadly organised into three main areas:
· Quality in the built environment;
· Risk, safety, and security in the built environment;
· Territorial development and sustainability.
These areas group 10 themes describing the competencies acquired in previous research and consultancy activities. To know more, see the brochure on Competencies and RD&I projects.
The main ongoing projects in the Urban and Territorial Studies Unit are:
· PHAI3C – Program of Inter-Generational Cooperative Adaptive Housing at Controlled Costs;
· Cultures of rehabilitation of old buildings (1980-2020). The case of the Cais do Sodré – Rato urban axis.
· BRIDGE – Bridging Science and Local Communities to wildfire risk reduction.
· NATURELAB – Nature-based interventions to improve health, well-being, and sustainability.
· C2IMPRESS – Co-Creative Improved Understanding and Awareness of Multi-Hazard Risks for Disaster Resilient Society.
· ARICA:2022 – Method for fire safety evaluation in existing buildings.
Currently, the Unit also monitors the operation of the SILUC – Building Regulations Information System, which was developed with support from the PORTUGAL 2020 Programme (Project Sheet).