Book of Proceedings (joint conference) of CITTA 8th Annual Conference on Planning Research and AESOP TG / Public Spaces & Urban Cultures Meeting: Generativa Places, Smart Approaches, Happy People

This book includes a representative sample of the most relevant papers (42 in total) presented at the 8th CITTA Annual Conference on Planning Research. The conference took place in Oporto in September 2015 and resulted from a joint venture between our research centre CITTA and the AESOP’s Thematic Group on Public Spaces and Urban Cultures.
The main theme and title of the conference “Generative Places, Smart Approaches, Happy People” proposes a reflection on an ambitious and wide scoped triangle in which seems to converge timeless and contemporary edge cutting planning issues, such as planning for inspiring and friendly places, planning with people for better equipped and happier communities, and innovative approaches and methodologies to design and jointly implement locally based and socially responsive policies and initiatives.
The book is organized in three main chapters. The first one, gathering ten papers, deals with the physical dimension of planning and with the increasingly subtle and fuzzy boundaries between the real and the virtual world, and the corresponding challenges for thinking and planning the cities of the XXI century. The second chapter deals with the social dimension of urban planning and, in particular, with the factors, conditions and participatory methodologies to build successful mediation processes. This chapter includes eleven papers. Finally, the third chapter, the bulkiest one with 21 papers, is dedicated to the cultural dimension of planning, embracing a wide range of topics related to local identities and meanings. Surely not by chance, this cultural dimension gathers the largest number of research papers presented at the conference, illustrating the increasing importance of culture and culture related topics, in the way we currently see a new and far-reaching role for urban planning and management.