Establishing measures to minimize construction sites impacts: a study of portuguese historical centers

Abstract

Historical city centres are presently protected areas because of their points of interest that communities aim to defend and promote. Special care has to be taken with construction activities that may affect them and any way prevent their fruition both by residents and by visiting people. Moreover, increasing demands of visitors presuppose special attention to environment, while residents aim to make from tourism a way of life. Construction sites must take this reality into consideration through careful planning, erection, maintenance and removal, so that reported inconveniences may be minimised. A research project has been carried at the University of Minho aiming at studying sources, effects and possible remedies of negative impacts from construction sites in historical city centres.