Sustainable Design of Public Open Spaces in the Great Porto Metropolitan Area

摘要

This paper results from a research line developed within the research project "The Greater Porto Metropolitan Park Network" (GAMP/CIBIO). The objective of this research line was the development of Manuals of Good Practices for the design, construction, and management/maintenance of metropolitan parks. These manuals were built upon a series of guidelines for the sustainable management of natural resources and hard landscape materials, applicable international and national legislation, and certification requirements of the Green Flag Award. The incorporation of widely accepted sustainability principles in the construction of these guidelines makes them potentially applicable to a wider range of situations, which have contributed to the development of manuals of good practices for sustainable public open space design, construction, and management/maintenance. This paper presents the sustainable management guidelines developed for the natural resources (soil, water, vegetation, biodiversity) and hard landscape materials that support a Manual of Good Practices for Public Open Space Design. It also presents a summary of the main sustainable design guidelines composing this manual.