Green Transportation Methods and Practices
Porto 2050: Transforming City Infrastructure for a Sustainable Future
The University of Porto (U.Porto) has unveiled the "Porto 2050: Weaving the City through the VCI" project, a comprehensive urban mobility and sustainability plan. This ambitious project aims to revolutionise key highway junctions in Porto, focusing on the daily commuter flow into and out of the city.
The project's vision encompasses a multimodal transport system that seamlessly integrates:
- Dedicated lanes for public transport
- Two vehicle lanes
- Separate bike lanes
- Pedestrian pathways
This system is inspired by successful international models and is rooted in sustainable mobility and ecological principles. The goal is to offer a significantly more efficient and environmentally friendly alternative to the current car-centric infrastructure.
The redesign of key motorway junctions will transform them into multifunctional zones, incorporating public services, affordable housing, community facilities, and flood retention basins. These zones aim to promote ecological urban planning and foster a more sustainable city.
A large urban green belt is planned to follow the VCI's path, enhancing existing green spaces and connecting them with nearby parks. This green belt is expected to improve air quality, increase biodiversity, and reduce the urban heat island effect.
The VCI would be repositioned as a structural and cohesive element within the city's fabric, creating continuous pedestrian and cycling routes. The study suggests that the VCI's landscaped coverings could further facilitate these routes, reducing urban fragmentation caused by the road.
The multimodal transport system is expected to ease congestion and improve inner-city mobility, offering a more efficient and environmentally friendly alternative to the current road-based model. The project will be presented at the University of Porto's new Conference Centre.
[1] Source: Study conducted by academics and researchers at U.Porto.
- The University of Porto's "Porto 2050" project, aiming to transform Porto's city infrastructure, is rooted in environmental-science, considering the creation of a large urban green belt as part of the VCI's path, promoting biodiversity and reducing the urban heat island effect.
- In the vision of Porto 2050, the city's infrastructure will evolve to accommodate a more sustainable lifestyle, with a multimodal transport system that includes climate-change solutions, such as separate bike lanes, and encourages home-and-garden practices like ecological urban planning.
- As part of the Porto 2050 project, key motorway junctions will be redesigned to become multifunctional zones, promoting a sustainable living approach by incorporating public services, affordable housing, community facilities, and flood retention basins, fostering a more ecologically balanced city.
