On September 21st, between 4pm and 6 pm, the School of Architecture, Art and Design will host the opening of the exhibition “REBALANCING STREETs”, as part of the European Mobility Week.

This exhibition marks the conclusion of the STREET research project (PEX-FCT), which sought to explore methods of street transformation with the aim of understanding their contribution to sustainable, resilient and ecological urban environments. The research consisted of an in-depth study of the processes and projects of streets intervened in 5 Portuguese municipalities, after the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals (UN, 2015).

Led by researchers Ivo Oliveira, Daniel Casas-Valle, and Marcela Percú, the project also aimed to identify indicators and develop an evaluation tool to support a systematic approach to street transformation and its commitment to a sustainable future.

Within the context of the main challenges of contemporary society and its negative environmental impact, street transformation can play a strategic role in rebalancing the social, environmental and mobility components and, consequently, the vocation of public space. Simultaneously, a structured vision of adapting streets to a new climatic context and the principles of circularity will allow us to understand how issues related to functionality, durability, and adaptability are integrated.

The project developed a street transformation assessment tool that integrates three fundamental dimensions – natural, social, and mobility – into a single diagnostic instrument based on 27 indicators. The exhibition demonstrates this method applied to 9 of the 25 case studies, revealing the specific gains between the ‘before and after’ of each intervention, and its alignment with the principles of the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs. The team will present the content, followed by a roundtable discussion with guests, expanding the discussion on the sustainable transformation of streets and public spaces.

+ info: street@lab2pt.uminho.pt

Free admission.