Most interviewees thought the Polis project has enhanced the river’s value in the eyes of the city’s residents, thus achieving the program’s goal of revalorizing the river. The river is now
accessible and open for people to enjoy after 20 years of neglect and poor image. For example, the construction of the downtown train station Coimbra A (Estação Nova) did not consider or taken advantage of its riverside location. The fact that it is now possible for people to sit at a bar and look at the river is a vast improvement. The project made the river a part of people’s everyday lives.Most interviewees agreed that Parque Verde is a highly relevant project, providing a much-needed quality outdoors leisure space. Specifically, existing parks in the city had either served a different purpose or become degraded and were perceived as dangerous. Mata o Choupal, an urban forest a little downstream of the city center, for example, was more “wild” in character, and was more commonly used for active leisure activities such as jogging, cycling, picnics, and sports. The forest is poorly connected to Rio Mondego, except for a concrete canal. Parque Santa Cruz, a Romantic park connecting the northern edge of the city center to Praça de Republica, has been associated with criminality and illicit activities.
Two interviewees pointed out the regional impact of the Polis program - beyond Parque Verde, pointing out that the interventions included regional efforts including improvements to tourist and public amenities close to but not immediately on the river, as well as those with regional impact such as a bicycle path to Figuera de Foz at the mouth of Rio Mondego. One interviewee thought the program raised the level of perceived development in Coimbra, once considered “underdeveloped” compared to Lisbon, Porto, and even Leiria, following a period of deindustrialization in the 1980s and 1990s. The same interviewee also thought the project included a new circular route around the south side of Coimbra for people passing through on the north-south axis, and that eased traffic within Coimbra.
In the next blog entries, I will describe in more detail some recommendation for further action from the stakeholders I spoke with.
accessible and open for people to enjoy after 20 years of neglect and poor image. For example, the construction of the downtown train station Coimbra A (Estação Nova) did not consider or taken advantage of its riverside location. The fact that it is now possible for people to sit at a bar and look at the river is a vast improvement. The project made the river a part of people’s everyday lives.Most interviewees agreed that Parque Verde is a highly relevant project, providing a much-needed quality outdoors leisure space. Specifically, existing parks in the city had either served a different purpose or become degraded and were perceived as dangerous. Mata o Choupal, an urban forest a little downstream of the city center, for example, was more “wild” in character, and was more commonly used for active leisure activities such as jogging, cycling, picnics, and sports. The forest is poorly connected to Rio Mondego, except for a concrete canal. Parque Santa Cruz, a Romantic park connecting the northern edge of the city center to Praça de Republica, has been associated with criminality and illicit activities.
Mata Naçional do Choupal attracts active/sportive uses. Cyclists and joggers track along concrete canal.
Parque Santa Cruz off of Praça da Republica is poorly maintained, lacks users except for the occasional tourist group, and is associated with crime and illicit activities.
Parque Verde has drawn people to the riverfront, allowing people to reconnect with nature and with the river. All interviewees noticed the river has become a part of people’s everyday life, especially during the late afternoons and the weekends. Parque Verde also serves as a reminder that the river can be enjoyed. Families with children, individuals seeking quiet time, and other adults come to enjoy the many layers of activities, including a playground, jetties, exhibition spaces, a large event space, bars, and restaurants. One interviewee pointed out that Parque Verde provided a new, human-scale, and symbolic connection between the two banks of the river, via the pedestrian bridge Ponte Pedro e Inês. One interviewee mentioned the cooling effect of the river may have drawn people to the new park.
Two interviewees pointed out the regional impact of the Polis program - beyond Parque Verde, pointing out that the interventions included regional efforts including improvements to tourist and public amenities close to but not immediately on the river, as well as those with regional impact such as a bicycle path to Figuera de Foz at the mouth of Rio Mondego. One interviewee thought the program raised the level of perceived development in Coimbra, once considered “underdeveloped” compared to Lisbon, Porto, and even Leiria, following a period of deindustrialization in the 1980s and 1990s. The same interviewee also thought the project included a new circular route around the south side of Coimbra for people passing through on the north-south axis, and that eased traffic within Coimbra.
In the next blog entries, I will describe in more detail some recommendation for further action from the stakeholders I spoke with.
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