City In Portugal Research Articles

“You get out of the house, you talk to each other, you laugh…And that’s fantastic” – a qualitative study about older people’s perceptions of social prescribing in mainland Portugal

BackgroundSocial prescribing (SP) is a non-clinical approach, most commonly based in healthcare units, that aims to address non-medical health-related social needs by connecting individuals with community-based services. This qualitative study explores the perception of Portuguese older adults regarding the benefits of SP and their willingness to participate in SP initiatives.MethodsThree face-to-face focus group sessions were conducted with 23 participants in different cities in Portugal. Open and semi-open questions were used to guide the discussions and thematic analysis was used to analyze the data.ResultsThe participants recognized the potential benefits of SP for older adults, including diversifying leisure activities, improving mental health, and complementing existing support systems. They highlighted the need for external support, usually in the form of link workers, to facilitate personalized referrals and consider individual characteristics and preferences. While some participants expressed reluctance to engage in SP due to their existing busy schedules and a perceived sense of imposition, others showed openness to having new experiences and recognized the potential value of SP in promoting activity. Barriers to participation, including resistance to change, mobility issues, and family responsibilities, were identified.ConclusionsThe study emphasizes the importance of a person-centered and co-designed approach to SP, involving older adults in the planning and implementation of interventions. The findings provide valuable insights for the development of SP programs tailored to the unique needs and aspirations of older adults in Portugal, ultimately promoting active and healthy aging. Future research should consider the perspectives of family doctors and include a broader representation of older adults from diverse geographic areas.

Points of interest in the city of Barcelos in Portugal through augmented reality

Barcelos is a historic city in Portugal with many tourist attractions, attracting more and more visitors who come to the city with the aim of exploring it. The main objective of this article is to boost tourism in the city of Barcelos, specifically highlighting tourist, historical and leisure spots, based on the development of a mobile application using augmented reality technologies and geolocation. This application intends to allow the users to know historical points of interest in Barcelos, as well as interact with a certain point. The results of this investigation were evaluated by testing the application by end users, with the aim of identifying whether the application meets their needs, in particular the promotion of tourist and historical points.

Innovation in the peripheries: Counter-flows of students to second tier cities in Portugal

Each year, student migration flow to small and medium cities in peripheral regions in Portugal to enter higher education, because they are unable to get into the more prestigious and larger universities in the main cities. Those are small counter-flows of the main flows from the periphery to larger cities. This study argues that these flows of students constitute potential flows of talent, drivers of innovation and economic growth, a means of enhancing human capital and regional upgrading and can contribute to the institutional change of remote areas. They are not exclusive to Portugal but take place in other countries where offer and demand differs between central and peripheral cities. The Portuguese case benefits from a unique process of access to public higher education, with a centralized process of allocation of vacancies linked with numerus clausus for all programmes, managed by the Ministry and is registered on a universal database each year. The analysis of the allocation of the students by place of origin, field of study and institution of enrolment, grades and other characteristics of the students offers evidence to support the argument of this paper.

Assessment of Selected Determinants Affecting the Acceptance of the Development of Electromobility by the Private and Business Sectors—A Case Study in Portugal

The energy transition requires widespread electrification of the transport sector. To promote the penetration of electric vehicles (EVs), it is essential to understand consumers’ perceptions and behavior, particularly regarding the main determinants of EV purchase and the acceptance of electric mobility (EM). With this aim, we focused on an industrialized city in Portugal, addressing the differences between the effective ownership of an EV and the acceptability of EM and between the domestic sector (DS) and the business sector (BS) through questionnaires. Our results indicate that sociodemographic variables are the main determinants of the purchase of EVs and the acceptance of EM in the DS. Men and higher income individuals are more likely to own an EV. On the other hand, younger generations are more likely to have high EM acceptance. Individuals who already own an EV are the ones that have the desire and economic means to do so, regardless of any incentives. Still, widespread market penetration of EVs requires incentives for individuals who desire to own one of these vehicles but do not have the economic power to do so. Additionally, the DS and the BS behave differently; hence, specially designed policies are needed.

A Planning Practice Method to Assess the Potential for Cycling and to Design a Bicycle Network in a Starter Cycling City in Portugal

There is growing recognition of the potential for cycling to provide more sustainable and active urban mobility. In Portugal, the National Strategy for Active Mobility aims at increasing the bicycle modal share from the current level of below 1% to 10% by 2030. This paper describes a planning practice method to assess the potential for cycling and to design a bicycle network in Ponte de Lima, a small starter Portuguese city, which only has some disconnected cycle lanes. The method consists of assessing the target population and target area attributes through a Geographic Information System (GIS) and Space Syntax operations. Results showed that the potential for cycling in Ponte de Lima is hindered by the hilly terrain, by the low population density and by the low percentage of the young population. The compact urban structure and the level of street integration enhances topological proximity and makes using a bicycle convenient. The proposed bicycle network comprises segregated cycle lanes, colored cycle lanes and a set of streets where cycling coexists with other road users. Adopting complementary measures, such as traffic calming and bicycle-sharing services, could be decisive to make cycling more appealing in Ponte de Lima and to help the city in reaching the ambitious goal of the National Strategy for Active Mobility.

How do our Dialysis Patients Die?

Introduction: Elderly patients are the most frequent patients admitted to dialysis units. Relatively little is known about standards on endof-life (EOL) care among dialysis patients. From international literature, these patients are exposed to more aggressive treatments at EOL than patients with cancer or other chronic diseases and palliative referral is infrequent. This study aims to describe some end-of-life (EOL) practices in patients undergoing hemodialysis in NephroCare clinics in several cities in Portugal. Material and Methods: We designed a prospective, multicenter, observational, cross-sectional study conducted between October 1st, 2020 and September 30th, 2021 in six hemodialysis clinics including 1265 patients (pts). Results: During the year in analysis, 158 pts died (12.4%). Mean age was 76 years (25% of pts were older than 85 years) and dialysis vintage was 84 (2-963) months. Regarding comorbidities, 50% were diabetic, 40% had congestive heart failure, 25% had cancer and 17% had dementia. Mean age-adapted Charlson index was 13 ± 3. For 82 pts (51.9%), nephrologists would not be surprised if they died in the next 6 months. Seventy-three had hospital admissions in the previous three months. Four pts withdrew dialysis. Of those who died, only two had advance care directives, 18 had an opioid prescription in the last month of life and 17 were referred to palliative intervention mostly because of oncologic disorders. Seventy four percent of these pts died at the hospital and 23% died at home/nursing home. Not a single patient died under hospice care. Conclusion: Most of our patients commonly die in hospital, undergo invasive procedures, spend much of their remaining life fulfilling a demanding dialysis schedule and are admitted to the hospital wards without formal palliative intervention or discussion of goals of care, even when death is an expected outcome.

Место европейских городов Средиземноморья в сфере туризма Европейского союза

The purpose of the study is to determine the position of Mediterranean cities in the European tourism system. For this purpose, the tourist attractiveness and tourism development of the Mediterranean region and the EU countries are analyzed. The place of the most attractive tourist cities of the Mediterranean in the EU market has been determined. Their strengths and weaknesses in the development of tourism are highlighted and opportunities and threats are considered. The methods of comparative, cluster, SWOT analysis were used in the work, a classification and a series of tables and maps were created. As a result of cluster analysis of a dozen indicators, groups of countries by tourist attractiveness and groups of cities of the European Union by the level of tourism development were identified. The study showed that the cities of the Mediterranean have different degrees of tourism development, while the level of tourism development in the cities of the western part of the region is higher than in the eastern. The largest of them have a diversified tourist offer and attract tourists as centers of resort, cultural and educational, business, event and religious tourism. They are a popular destination for citizens of Germany, Great Britain, Austria and the Scandinavian countries. There is also an interchange of tourists from the Mediterranean countries: France and Italy. Mediterranean cities have different and, in some cases, significantly different values of tourism development indicators. Higher rates of tourism development are observed in cities in the western part of the Mediterranean, while lower rates are observed in cities in the eastern part (cities of Greece, Croatia, Slovenia, Cyprus). The predominant number of Mediterranean cities, which are included in the list of the most popular destinations, demonstrate indicators of tourism development closer to the minimum values: economy and business, tourist activity, tourist policy and attractiveness, tourist infrastructure. In terms of characteristics, they are similar to cities in Portugal, as well as cities in Eastern Europe. The weak side of the development of tourism in Mediterranean cities is the indicators of sustainable development (the increase in average air temperature, the content of PM2.5 particles in the air), which affects the index of sustainable tourism. After the lifting of all coronavirus restrictions, Mediterranean cities are capable of rapid recovery due to the fact that they provide a familiar tourist product of good quality, which is important in conditions of uncertainty. Also, a plus is the proximity to the countries-the main suppliers of tourists and a long travel ban, which stimulated the desire to travel.

Evaluation of temporal trends and correlations of physical-chemical parameters in vast oceanic areas robust to information uncertainty

The physical-chemical monitoring of vast oceanic areas aims at assessing the status and evolution of the environmental resource for its exploration, protection and/or better understanding. However, the interpretation of monitoring data is affected by ocean seasonality and heterogeneity, and by the quality of sampling and characterization tools used to study the environment. All these factors contribute to the uncertainty of collected information that should be expressed in determined parameter values or trends. A trend of a studied parameter quantified by values difference is significant if the observed absolute value of the difference is larger than their expanded uncertainty. The correlation of studied parameters, useful for their interpretation, is equality affected by the mentioned sources of uncertainty. This work describes the metrologically sound evaluation of trends and correlations of physicochemical parameters of vast oceanic areas where all uncertainty sources affecting the information are considered by simulating their complex impact by the Monte Carlo Method. The described methodology was successfully used to study the impact of summer upwelling in an 800 km2 coastal area offshore two large cities in Portugal. Nutrients, conductivity, salinity and temperature trends and correlations are distinguished from system heterogeneity, sampling and sample analysis uncertainty for a 99% confidence level.

Governing diversity: a comparative analysis of pragmatic diversity regimes in city centres

ABSTRACT This article examines how cultural diversity is incorporated into processes of urban renewal, creating images of the city, and considering local governance actors and strategies. It adopts the concept of diversity regimes to compare the two major cities in Portugal. The two cases studied here demonstrate the multiplicity of strategies employed to accommodate immigration and cultural diversity in local political action, but where city policy is in both cases aimed at the integration of migrants. The comparison of differentiated agency levels of local policy reveals distinct positions and models of intervention. These result from differences in the number of migrants, institutional settings and how the discourse of diversity does or does not incorporate narratives of territorial development and images of the city. We argue that what is relevant is the interplay between how governance networks are structured and participated in by migrants and how diversity discourse is incorporated (or not) into territorial development narratives. Both are part of new models of urban governance where the language of diversity and the symbolic arrangements to which it gives rise do not constitute a migration policy but rather a set of representational techniques for the creation of urban imaginaries.

Teachers’ perceptions of the impact of stuttering on the daily life of their students who stutter

Stuttering is a neurodevelopmental disorder involving interruptions in the flow of speech. The reactions of listeners and others in a child’s environment could affect how children perceive their stuttering. Children experience many of their everyday social situations in the school context. Because it might be hard for children who stutter to deal with communication in the school setting, it is essential to know how teachers perceive the impact of stuttering on their students. In this study, we collected data about teachers’ perceptions of the impact of stuttering on Portuguese children who stutter using an adaptation of the European Portuguese translation of Overall Assessment of the Speaker’s Experience of Stuttering (OASES-S-PT). Participants were 27 teachers and their students who stutter (n=27; mean age=9.0 mos., SD=1.8 mos.), recruited from different cities in Portugal. In general, teachers perceived the overall impact of stuttering in their students’ lives as mild-to-moderate. Our results did not reveal any statistically significant differences between the teachers’ perceptions of the impact of stuttering and the students’ self-reports. Still, there was no statistically significant correlation between the students’ impact scores and the teachers’ impact scores. Teachers were unable to rate several items on the instrument, which indicates that they were unfamiliar with some aspects of the children’s experiences with stuttering. This finding highlights the need to integrate teachers into therapy programs to increase support within the environment of for children who stutter.

A STUDY OF EXPERIENTIAL ARCHEOLOGY OF A POEM BY FERNANDO PESSOA

This paper describes an experiential archaeology project carried out in three cities in Portugal, Mação, Tomar and Lisbon and analyses, from a poetic perspective, the effects of Time on matter using psychogeography as a method of exploring the urban landscape.In this case psychogeography was used to experience a poem by the great Portuguese modernist writer and poet Fernando Pessoa, in the same way an observer experiences a cityscape. Photographs of ruins that show traces of degradation caused by the passage of time are presented in the form of four condensed visual narratives that visualise four different versions of the poem's verses.

The Experience of Volunteers in Prisons in Portugal: A Qualitative Study.

Background: Portugal is one of the countries that has a legal framework for volunteering, and there are different associations to support inmates through volunteering support. This volunteering can be beneficial for prisoners to address their social isolation and supporting them in the acquisition of skills and competencies to help them during their time in prison, but also beyond, supporting them in their resocialization and social reintegration in the community. However, little is known about the experiences of volunteers that provide such support to inmates.Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted to explore the experiences and motivations of volunteers who interact with prisoners in the prison context of the three main cities in Portugal (Coimbra, Lisbon, and Porto). The interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using the thematic analysis method.Results: Thirty-nine prison volunteers agreed to participate in this study (n = 24 women, n = 15 men), with two to thirty years of experience of volunteering. The main themes emerging from the analysis were “Different motivations to volunteer”, “Volunteers” interactions with inmates”, “Volunteers” interactions with prison staff”, “Volunteering in prisons has an impact on volunteers”, “Volunteers” perception of helping inmates' and “More support to volunteering in prisons”.Conclusions: Community volunteers who support prisoners can develop positive and trusting relationships with the inmates, despite its challenges. These findings can raise awareness of volunteering in prisons as a potentially helpful intervention, and call for further research to better explore its long-term impact.

Reviewing the State-of-the-Art of Smart Cities in Portugal: Evidence Based on Content Analysis of a Portuguese Magazine

The lack of examples of smart-city initiatives and the sharing of best practices in Portugal confirm the gap in the transference of empirical knowledge to the scientific literature in this area. The smart-city concept has passed through three stages. However, its evolution has not been noted equally throughout countries and their territories. The literature only provides information about specific projects implemented in a few cities. Therefore, the aim of this paper was to study the state-of-the-art of smart cities in Portugal by analyzing 25 editions of the most relevant national-wide smart-cities magazine. First, the objective of analyzing the magazine was to study each Portuguese city in terms of the subject areas and types of existing initiatives in order, ultimately, to frame cities within their respective smart-city phases, as per the literature. Second, the aim of the paper was also to provide information about the evolution of the concept through analyses of embedded experts’ quotes. The results of the first are complemented with the analysis of interviews with policymakers to provide information about the existing challenges to implementing a smart city and to understand the role of government therein. Qualitative and quantitative analyses were performed on the case study. The findings suggest that the three smart-city phases are perceived in slightly different ways in Portugal and heterogeneity within the country can be noted from the lack of strategies and a standard framework.

An evaluation of spatial accessibility to mental health services in Porto, Portugal

Abstract Background Access to mental health service is an important problem globally. The probability of using a particular health service is affected by increased distances to the location of care and reducing this distance can reduce travel time and cost of accessing these services. This study aimed to assess spatial distribution and accessibility to mental health care services in Porto, the second largest city in Portugal. Methods Data regarding the population statistics in Porto was obtained from the Population and Housing census in 2011 while datasets related to all the mental health facilities in Porto were obtained from ACES Porto Oriental and Carta social. Standard distance, Nearest neighbor index, average distance to a mental health service were all computed. All spatial analysis techniques were employed in ARC/GIS environment. Results The study findings indicated that the mental health services were clustered around three municipalities in Porto; Campanhã, Bonfim and Paranhos. The mean time to access a mental health service was 6.47±3.726 minutes and the maximum time to reach a service center among the residents was 19.44 minutes. Pearson correlation showed a significant negative moderate association between the population density and the average near distance to a mental health service (r = -0.617, p = 0.002). 77.7% of the population lived within 1 km of a mental health service. Conclusions Mental health services were clustered in some parishes in Porto. A significant proportion of the residents were living near a mental health service. However, certain areas did not have adequate numbers of mental healthservices. It is important to determine areas of mental health service shortage to help in planning the location of mental health services. Key messages Mental health services are clustered around areas of high population density in Porto. There is need for more mental health services to serve the needs of people living in sparsely populated areas.

The power of the cities and the power in the cities: a multiscale perspective from Portugal

Cities –or the urban complex spaces that they are becoming– are vital in society’s future, particularly in a general context of globalization. In this setting, power fragmentation and government to governance transitions, which are indisputable and significant phenomena, go hand in hand with urban movements that are becoming increasingly relevant, both through their direct action, and as a consequence of democratic responsibility. In Portugal, however, urban movements and civic associations in general seem rather discreet in their activities, dimension and role. In fact, there is no strong evidence that the 2008–2014 crisis has brought any dramatic change in these aspects. In this article we aim to shed some light on plausible explanations for this apparent inertia. Signs of change, in a context of increased governance and new urban dynamics do exist but do not seem to follow the trend that is thriving in several cities on other European countries. In face of new opportunities for a multiscalar approach to politics, planning and action, after centuries of a (still) dominant hierarchical and sectorial approach, we examine the context of the power of the cities and in the cities in Portugal.

The economic value for cycling – a methodological assessment for Starter Cities

The concerns about climate change, the effects of congestion and pollution in urban areas have led to the debate about the need for alternative mobility patterns to reduce the negative impacts of transport. At the same time, research on sustainable urban mobility highlights the value of cycling as a mean of transport and its economic, social and environmental benefits. Despite the proven benefits, investments in cycling are not always considered a priority, especially in contexts where cycling is residual, such as Portuguese cities, with an average modal share of 0.5%. In this context, the Boost project is developing a Starter Cities Roadmap to promote cycling. This article aims to discuss the methodological steps beyond a comprehensive Economic Value for Cycling (EVC) tool. This tool is aimed to analyze the impacts of a higher use of the bicycle as a transportation mode and its multi-dimensional impacts in the economy. Departing from the example of starter cities in Portugal and the available statistical information, a full description of the methodology applied (and challenges) is offered. This method covers from the calculation of the bicycle industry value chain; economic impacts of reduced fuel consumption caused by modal shift; and the value of environmental, energy and health benefits at a local level.

Preschool Children’s Attitudes Towards Their Peers with Special Needs

ABSTRACT This study explores children’s attitudes towards their peers with special needs (SN) at a preschool level. A total of 151 children were examined using the Acceptance Scale for Kindergarteners – Revised and social demographic questionnaires to collect information from parents and educators. The research included preschool children (5 years old) attending private preschools in a city of Portugal- Leiria-as well as their corresponding parents and educators. Further, 10 classrooms within preschools participated in the study, with a sample of 151 children, 149 parents, and 14 educators. Internal consistency was calculated, and the Cronbach’s α coefficient for the complete scale was .688. Results revealed that the average score associated with children’s attitudes was 18.78 (DP = 5.88). Children have more positive attitudes if they are in contact with peers with special needs regardless of the location (p < .05). Although children who have contact with peers with special needs in classroom have positive attitudes (p < .01) those who have contact in the preschool (outside classroom) have much more (p < .01). The results of this study provide insights into children’s attitudes and reveal that closer contact with children with special needs benefits peer attitudes.

Indicators to measure the performance of sustainable urban entrepreneurship: an empirical case study applied to Portuguese cities and towns

PurposeUrban sustainability is an inseparable dimension of today's cities; thus, the role played by creativity, and consequently sustainable urban entrepreneurship and the networks it raises, gives rise to the pro-activity of these two constructs toward a tripartition (economic, social and environmental). This study aims to measure sustainable urban entrepreneurship through a composite of existing indicators in the literature of cities.Design/methodology/approachIn this study, the authors followed a quantitative research by applying exploratory factor analysis. The sample contains 308 towns and cities in Portugal, and the data were collected using secondary databases (e.g. INE; PORDATA).FindingsThrough quantitative research, this study identified the key indicators that mediate sustainable urban entrepreneurship in cities, as a methodological tool for them to evaluate their sustainable entrepreneurial capacity.Practical implicationsThe results obtained here provide information to show that sustainable urban entrepreneurship is an essential construct for cities, allowing a solution to many of their urban problems by its association with creative economy and its influence on the revitalization of urban spaces by urban regeneration, and by the importance of networks in these, the latter being another fundamental construct.Originality/valueThis research makes important contributions to studies considering the sustainability construct in urban entrepreneurship area. It will help to fill part of the gap in existing studies involving the cities’ aspects in entrepreneurship field. Consequently, the main contribution of this study lies in identifying the indicators that contribute to cities' tripartite sustainable balance by assuming sustainable urban entrepreneurship as a crucial premise.

Influence of the Improvement in Thermal Expectation Levels with Adaptive Setpoint Temperatures on Energy Consumption

A sustainable use of active heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems is crucial for minimum energy consumption. Currently, research studies are increasingly applying adaptive setpoint temperatures, thus reducing considerably the energy consumption without influencing comfort levels excessively. Most of them, however, are focused on the limit values of adaptive comfort standards without considering the tolerance in users’ adaptation capacity. This research study analyzed various tolerance ranges in the recent adaptive thermal comfort model from EN 16798-1:2019 used in setpoint temperatures. The study focused on the south of Europe, considering 47 cities in Spain, 18 cities in Portugal, 13 cities in Greece, and 20 cities in Italy. In addition, such cities were analyzed in three climate scenarios: present time, 2050, and 2100. The results showed that values prefixed by EN 16798-1:2019 for new buildings (tolerance of 0.00 °C) produced significant savings with respect to the static model and that each progressive improvement in users’ thermal expectations in 0.25 °C increased the energy consumption between 6.57 and 9.31% in all scenarios analyzed. Even applying a thermal tolerance of 1.50 °C, energy savings are currently produced with respect to the static model. This tendency increases in future scenarios until a thermal tolerance of 1.75 °C. The results of this paper provide greater knowledge about the possible energy increase that the improvement in users’ expectations would produce.

Emergence and Structure of Urban Centralities in a Medium-Sized Historic City

Within the last 20 years, medium-sized cities in Portugal’s interior have been subject to a process of “desertification.” They have progressively lost in terms of economic activity, value and vitality, with the corresponding erosion of their heritage value. One exception to this general trend is the town of Évora. Of particular note is the vitality of its historic center (designated as a World Heritage Site in 1986) and the balance achieved between the center and a number of subcenters outside the walls. Here, urban centralities have proven to be an essential component of the urban structure in the fight against urban failure. This research project analyzes the relationship between town planning and the emergence of urban centralities. Historic towns are a very particular case, with subcenters emerging as a town grows and the historic center co-evolving with the entire urban area and surrounding urban centralities. The rise of centralities testifies to the vitality of the town. This article seeks to understand what factors have led to the balance of urban centralities in Évora by examining their structure and how they have emerged in the context of planning policies and urban growth. The methodology adopted crosses the results of three different approaches to highlight the emergence of urban centralities: identification and assessment of urban centralities, analysis of urban areas based on a space syntax approach, and the study of urban planning and management policies focused on centralities. The results help to characterize urban centralities that coexist with a strong historic center.