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In recent years, boardwalks/walkways, viewpoints, and swings have been set up throughout the Portuguese territory, with the aim of increasing the touristic attractiveness of their respective locations and municipalities. The local impacts, as well as the user profiles of these facilities, remain unexplored in academic literature. This exploratory project aims to bridge this knowledge gap by studying the repercussions of these constructions in terms of socio-economic, environmental, touristic, cultural, and landscape aspects at the local level. Additionally, the project will investigate the socio-demographic profile of visitors.
António Azevedo (Lab2PT – University of Minho)
Francisco Freire (CRIA – NOVA FCSH)
Luís Silva (CRIA – NOVA FCSH)
Rute Matos (CHAIA – University of Évora)
Aurora Carapinha (CHAIA – University of Évora)
Amélia Frazão-Moreira (CRIA – NOVA FCSH)
Free
1. What underlying strategies are driving the widespread implementation of these
structures by local authorities?
2. What impacts do these new constructed elements have on local populations and visitors (in terms of transforming landscapes, their ecological, historical, cultural,
and sensory/perceptual values)?
3. How should the implementation of these facilities be understood within the framework of public policies associated with sustainable development (i.e., valuing target locations and communities, and integrating them into frameworks that enhance the landscape, not only as a space for local communities but also as attractive destinations for visitors, potentially generating new economic dynamics in the target areas)?
Mondego Walkways, February 20th, 2023 © Francisco Freire
Following a series of interviews with stakeholders involved in the case studies and the distribution of questionnaires to visitors of the Mondego and Paiva boardwalks, some preliminary results will be presented, derived from an analysis of the available content and data.
2024 © IN2PAST. All rights reserved.
IN2PAST – Associate Laboratory for Research and Innovation in Heritage, Arts, Sustainability and Territory is funded by FCT – Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, I. P. under reference LA/P/0132/2020 (DOI 10.54499/LA/P/0132/2020)
