Soluções baseadas na natureza para adaptação às alterações climáticas – Redesign do espaço na Vila de Mértola

• Autor(a) principal: Pereira, Laura Barral
• Data de Publicação: 2023
• Tipo de documento: Dissertação
• Idioma: por
• Título da fonte: Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)
• Texto Completo: http://hdl.handle.net/10451/56791
• topic: Soluções baseadas na Natureza (SbN); Mértola; Alterações climáticas; Design; Métodos participativos; Domínio/Área Científica::Humanidades::Artes

Climate change is leading to an increase and intensification in the number of extreme weather events across the globe. These effects are not felt in the same way in all territories, with the most vulnerable ones being the most affected. Focusing on the Portuguese reality – one of the European countries most vulnerable to climate change – this study seeks to demonstrate the ability to respond to the need for adaptation to climate change (CC) with Nature-based Solutions (NbS). NbS promote social-ecological adaptation and resilience through a systematic and holistic approach. They consider human well-being, sustainable economic development and environmental benefits. To show their efficiency and success and encourage their dissemination, a pilot study area, particularly vulnerable in the national context, is chosen. The selected study area is the village of Mértola, in Baixo Alentejo. The municipality to which it belongs, of the same name, is classified as Semi-arid (Bsk) and characterised by high temperatures and low rainfall, i.e. where the limiting factor for plant productivity is water availability. The soils are incipient – characteristic of these climatic zones – which are further degraded by successive monoculture campaigns and by agricultural practices that are not always adapted to the climatic conditions. The urban landscape is dense and lacks green spaces. The village of Mértola, the county seat, is also known as a “museum town” and therefore the approval of projects involving elements of nature is difficult, since the roots of plants can damage the archaeological heritage. The majority of the population is ageing and suffers from social isolation, which damages their psychological health, leading to high rates of loneliness and even depression. In this sense, the NbS proposed for the territory take into consideration the general objectives of the study - to demonstrate the success of NbS in adapting to CC-, and the particular demands and constraints of the study context. The methods applied in the selection of the intervention area are GIS analysis and participatory mapping. In the first one, we considered 1) the proximity to the hydrographic network, 2) the land surface temperature, 3) the type and function of infrastructures, namely the proximity to equipments with recreational value, 4) the vegetation cover typology, 5) the land use classification and 6) the distance to isolated trees; and in the second one the most frequented paths and spaces and the reasons associated to that preference. For the definition of the project, an attempt is made to value local knowledge and bring together different entities that work in and know the territory, through a co-creation workshop. The final design considers the necessary resources (natural elements and artificial materials); its origins and composition; its functionality and aesthetic benefits; and the ability to preserve the cultural identity of its context.