Documentary on Desertification in Portugal

Human Desertification is a problem that concerns all the Interior of Portugal. This problem is shared by several different countries located in the South of Europe. With this work, combining the effort of the students and the CR Architects team we intend to take a closer look to this problem that has social and economical impacts in the surrounding environment, and, in a more advanced stage of this Research Project deliver solutions.

Desertification is a phenomenon that involves different areas of knowledge. The team that is developing this Research is comprised of several individuals from very different professional backgrounds: Cristina Rodrigues, Senior Architect, responsible for this Research Project; John Hyatt, Artist & MIRIAD Director; Diogo Castanheira, Tourism Management; Tiago Pereira, Graphic Designer; André Castanheira, Professional Photographer. Also joining the CR Architects team, the group of Landscape Architecture Students from MMU, coordinated by Ian Fisher, Programme Leader School of Landscape Architecture.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Desertification
• Desertificação
• Sustentabilidade
• Sustainability
• Architecture
• Sustainable Architecture
• Sustainable Planning
• Portugal
• Portuguese Heritage
• culture history arts green
• documentary
• educational
• Rural
• development
• Sustainable

[CRArchitects]

Portugal is the 3rd most deserted country in Europe. 2/3 of the country are in risk of becoming deserts. I have been studying Human and Land Desertification for some time and when you cross the Maps that show Land Desertification and Human Desertification they are almost coincident. These abandoned places have the land directly exposed to the sun and this accelerates the desertification process.

[karlmac1]

It seems ironic that in the UK we pay a premium to live in a rural village to escape the congestion in the towns and cities, yet in Portugal many of the houses in rural villages stand empty & abandoned.