Title: Directives towards a sustainable urban rehabilitation process in old cities

Authors: J.A.R. Mendes Da Silva, Ana Ferreira Ramos

Addresses: Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Coimbra, 3030 788 – Coimbra, Portugal. ' Superior School of Technology, Polytechnic Institute of Castelo Branco, 6000 767 Castelo Branco, Portugal

Abstract: The main goal of this work is to support, scientifically, the urban rehabilitation decisions to Coimbra|s historic downtown (a traditional Portuguese city) under a sustainable construction perspective. This paper presents the ten main issues to find a solution on sustainable urban rehabilitation, according to the existing experiences and concepts. The main aspects of sustainability were analysed on two levels: the urban and the building. Furthermore, they were compared with the guidelines of several urban interventions and it was possible to outline a general structure of intervention. This case study is supported by a local research program on inspection and appraisal, concerning construction technology, building defects, architectural and social characterisation, of about 800 buildings. It contributes to define intervention strategies in old areas of Portuguese cities, with a constant concern to tailor solutions and proposals to the existing reality in terms of physical, social and cultural characteristics.

Keywords: sustainable development; urban rehabilitation; sustainable construction; Portugal; sustainability; old cities.

DOI: 10.1504/IJSD.2011.039638

International Journal of Sustainable Development, 2011 Vol.14 No.1/2, pp.65 - 76

Published online: 28 Feb 2015 *

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