Abstract:

There are many housing neighbourhoods with no functional diversity, where dwellings are the only function of the buildings. Their inhabitants are out during the day, going to their working places and are coming back only in the evening. Therefore, these monofunctional neighbourhoods, at the suburban parts of the cities, present several problematic aspects, such as in security terms. Consequently good quality requirements of urban life, are difficult to keep. This paper aims to present the results of an urban project , on behalf on the urban planning subject, at the Architecture studies.

The case study area is a peripheral neighbourhood, on the outskirts of the Portuguese city of Covilhã, in the Interior region of the country, near to the border with Spain.

The presented solutions are focused on the urban continuity as the main feature to be development regarding the urban fabric, based on the functional diversity of the place. They are proposing new green spaces, new squares as meeting public spaces, cycling paths and pedestrian sidewalks with greenery. The low density of buildings is an option in order to keep the local identity in architectural and cultural terms, and a sustainable urban environments, where people can meet each other, stay together and organize events for all community.

Keywords:

Functional diversity, housing neighborhoods, sustainable urban environment, low density buildings