People and Projects Solving Freshwater Restoration Challenges

EcoAdvance European Project

Showcase category ➤ DidIt

PORTUGAL

Caterina Anastasia

CIAUD, Research Centre for Architecture, Urbanism and Design, Lisbon School of Architecture, Universidade de Lisboa, URBinLAB research lab

Scientists & Researchers
My Projects

Attraverso il fiume: segni idraulici e territori abitati del basso corso del fiume Ter - (PhD thesis, doctoral programme in Urbanism -UPC) focuses on the Lower Ter River basin (Catalonia, Spain);

Through the river landscapes: The City of the Tagus Estuary - (postdoctoral research project carried out at CIAUD) focuses on the Tagus Estuary (Lisbon Metropolitan Area, Portugal)

  • Key project facts

    Although today the proximity to the hydrographic network is no longer a necessary condition to settle, riverfronts and blue-green corridors seem to be an appealing and winning urban regeneration formula and a support for landscape and urban projects that tend towards urban habitability. When analysing how densely urbanised areas historically marked by watercourses become terrain where urban policy aspires to build a greener and liveable urban future, the goal is to understand what kind of role water is called to play with regard to the urban surroundings: from water as historical ‘sign’ and memory to water as one of the most immediate and affordable public space and connection. This paper focuses on two interventions implemented in Loures (Tagus Estuary humid system, Lisbon Metropolitan Area, Portugal) and Girona (Ter River Basin, Catalonia, Spain). Through the case studies of the Iberian Peninsula, both part of ongoing interventions aiming to create new ‘vicinity’ to (water) landscape for the general public, the work concludes that new-found accessibility and a captivating proximity to the waters—achieved even with limited intervention (by involving careful use of money and resources)—can be the first tool to value, recognise and appropriate urban open spaces.

  • What impact did these projects have on biodiversity, if any?

    Biodiversity was not the main aim of these projects.

  • What work challenges did you face and what approach did you take to solve them?

    Affordable public space and connection, the appropriate urban open spaces building.

  • What lessons learned are transferable to other places/projects?

    Multidisciplinary.

    Tran scalability.

  • What is your biggest barrier and what are you trying to do about it?

    At the beginning of my research activity, it was not usual to include an architect (an architect-researcher) in multidisciplinary think tanks on the topic of 'water and cities'. Architects, and even more so urban planners, has often been held responsible for the poor (not integrated) management of water resources at an urban level.  

My Focus and Approach
  • Lessons Learnt - Some recommendations for others?
    1. What’s most important:

      Multidisciplinarity and transcalability of the work.

    2. Do this, not that: 

      It is important meet more “points of view” by the project, for example connect the technical works and the usability by the community; urban revitalization and river restoration together, etc…

    3. Always start by:

      Geomorphological study of the river.

    4. What to do when things get difficult…:

      It is important to find the problem and solve it in the context of the whole purpose of the project

    5. 5 simple steps to:
      1. Take care to be multidisciplinary.
      2. Take care about the transcalability of the work.
      3. Consider the sediments – they are crucial issue for the river.
      4. Start by the geomorphological study of the river.
      5. Include an architect to the water revitalisation project from the beginning.
    6. The biggest barrier and what I am trying to do about it:
      Networking and collaboration of the researchers, policymakers and stakeholders – I ma involving all these target groups to my projects.
My Journey

My journey:
Postdoctoral Fellow funded by Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia and European Commission - European Social Fund (ESF), research project “Through the river landscapes: The City of the Tagus Estuary” carried out at CIAUD (Lisbon School of Architecture / Universidade de Lisboa), currently research member of URBinLAB - Urbanism & Territorial Dynamics - and MetroPublicNet.

  • My Education:

    • Caterina is graduated in Architecture (Università degli Studi di Firenze, Italy); has a master’s degree in urban project (Universidad Politécnica de Cataluña -UPC- Spain); and a PhD in Urbanism, International Doctorate Mention (UPC). Postdoctoral Fellow (2017-23) carried out at Research Centre for Architecture, Urbanism and Design (CIAUD), Lisbon School of Architecture, Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal. 

      I have been carried out research activity related with water in inhabited areas - at:  Universidad Politécnica de Cataluña (Spain); Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (Spain), Hanoi Architectural University (Vietnam); Politecnico di Torino (Italy), and Università IUAV di Venezia.

  • The Big Change:

    • Behind the banner of multidisciplinary research - still far from being fully realised - the sharing of experiences from different disciplines is seen as necessary. Today, it is possible to sit down at a constructive project table that starts from the reality of the facts - not necessarily anti-urban - and looks forward. In recent years, I have gladly sat around the table with geographers interested in my research.

  • Favourite part of the work I do:

    The most challenging and enjoyable adventure I have undertaken has been walking, cycling or using public transport to travel along rivers in search of the water derived from the fluvial courses and then mapping it. In doing so, the conversations with the different actors of the river landscape were very stimulating.

Brief Overview

Interview

Key Topics:

Key Topics

These relate to specific topics (e.g. technical solutions; restoration activities etc.) addressed within the showcase materials.

  • Urban architecture
  • Urban open space
  • Water in design of territories
  • Geomorfology
Prone2Success Factors Demonstrated:

Prone2Success Factors Demonstrated

These are the Prone2Success checklist factors which are highlighted within this showcase. More information on the Prone2Success checklist can be found here.

  • Communicate/engage with stakeholders from the outset
  • Obtain sufficient finance for all project stages
  • Restoration works (design) are self-sustaining
  • Local planning processes are transparent / clearly understood
  • Ensure stakeholder understanding / education of restoration goals & benefits
  • Take climate change into account
NRL Restoration Categories:

NRL Restoration Categories

These are the restoration categories (listed under Annex VII of the European Nature Restoration Law (NRL) which are relevant to this showcase.

  • [7] Re-naturalise river beds
  • [8] Restore natural sedimentation
  • [33] Convert brownfield sites, industrial areas, quarries into natural sites
Resources
My Projects

Attraverso il fiume: segni idraulici e territori abitati del basso corso del fiume Ter - (PhD thesis, doctoral programme in Urbanism -UPC) focuses on the Lower Ter River basin (Catalonia, Spain);

Through the river landscapes: The City of the Tagus Estuary - (postdoctoral research project carried out at CIAUD) focuses on the Tagus Estuary (Lisbon Metropolitan Area, Portugal)

Some articles that influenced me
 
Peer reviewed papers

Best solutions I have found

In the field of urban regeneration studies and from an architect's point of view, my research path has (had) the merit of widening the viewpoint on the water landscape understood as a result of human/urban activity. Starting from the conviction that today the term 'urban' does not necessarily have to be opposed to 'natural' but that, on the contrary, a 'place' of mediation must be sought, I think this ‘place’ has much to do with water in urban environment.

 

Acknowledgements & Links

This material was provided by: Catarina Anastasia

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