The document summarizes a spatial planning program between the University of Aveiro and the municipality of Ovar, Portugal. Over two academic years, around 45 students from the University of Aveiro's regional and urban planning programs worked with the municipality of Ovar and three parishes on spatial planning projects. The partnership allowed students hands-on experience working with local authorities and exposed planning concepts to communities, while local areas benefited from new insights and opportunities for public engagement. Both the university and municipalities saw benefits but also risks, such as over-relying on a single case study, that require balance between theory and practice.

2. Teaching spatial planning
with municipalities
Paulo Silva paulosilva@ua.pt
Departamento de Ciências Sociais,
Políticas e do Território,
Universidade de Aveiro

3. Introduction
Challenges faced by spatial planning
(Silva, Farrall, 2016)
A main reason to “submerge” students in
more professional contexts

4. The Context – spatial planning in the UA:
• 1st Portuguese institution to launch a BsC on
regional and urban planning (PRU) program (1983) |
1st Portuguese school to become a member of the
Association of European Schools of Planning
(AESOP);
• Minor on Spatial Planning and Urbanism / 1st cycle of
Public Administration | Master program of Regional
and Urban Planning
• Focus on governance, collaborative rationale, multi-
level approaches

5. The Context – spatial planning in Esmoriz
and Ovar
Esmoriz:
• Needing a planning approach (2nd city of Ovar, close
to Porto metropolitan area and NUTII Norte)
• Aiming for partnership with the university of Aveiro.
Municipality of Ovar:
• Providing institutional and logistic support

6. The process involving
Around 45 UA students from 2 yrs x 2 cycles
4 universities including teachers, guests and
students (Aveiro, Lisboa, Porto, Gdansk)
1 municipality (Ovar)
3 parishes (Esmoriz, Cortegaça, Maceda)

7. • Visit to the site with local authorities (Esmoriz).
• Local authorities’ talk with the students (Aveiro).
• Talks with planners from the municipality of Ovar
(Esmoriz).
• Public presentation (Esmoriz);
• Seminars with municipality of Espinho planner and
prof. Fatima Alves from UA (Aveiro);
• Exhibition of works during the Esmoriz Urbanism
Meeting (Esmoriz);
2013 / 2014, 2nd semester

11. 2014 / 2015, 1st semester
• Studio works extended to 3 parishes – Esmoriz,
Cortegaça and Maceda - involving 2 PRU master
program curricular units - Urban Forms (1st year),
Urban Regeneration Policies (2nd year)
• Students from 1st cycle of Public Administration /
Minor of Spatial Planning and Urbanism produced
models from urban spaces of Esmoriz (curricular
unit of Representations of Space).

12. 2014 / 2015, 2nd semester
• Urban Planning (PRU) studio works were extended
to three parishes of Ovar – Esmoriz, Cortegaça and
Maceda.
• Urban Design studio works focused on specific
areas of Esmoriz (BsC Public Administration, minor
of Spatial Planning and Urbanism).
• Joint visits to Esmoriz were organized.
• Master students prepared session to 1st cycle
students on Esmoriz urban structures.

14. • An international workshop took place during the 1st
week of June.
• Results were presented at the 2nd Esmoriz
urbanism meeting (12.06.2015).
2014 / 2015, 2nd semester (cont.)

18. 2013/14 2014/2015
1st semester 2nd semester 1st semester 2nd semester
UA &
municipality of
Ovar / parish of
Esmoriz
Getting together Experimenting
Moderate public
exposure
Exploring in new
curricular units
Re-formulating
previous experiences
Enhancing public
exposure
Regional and
Urban Planning
MSc program
Oct. - 1st contact between
Esmoriz local authorities
and MPRU
Esmoriz as case study
for Urban Planning
studio classes
Studio work extended
to Cortegaça and
Maceda
Public
Administration
BSc program |
Spatial Planning
and Urbanism
minor
Esmoriz as a basis for
Spatial
Representations
studio classes
Esmoriz as case study
for Urban Design
studio classes
The Process (looking back)

19. The Outcomes for the students:
A better understanding of public institutions’
expectations and urban agents’ dynamics;
A more “down to earth” approach;
An interaction of students and urban agents in a not
totally exposed context.

20. The Outcomes for local authorities:
It allows external insights;
It gives space to experimentation;
It eases public interaction mixing more formal and
more informal contexts;
Helps to improve communication channels with local
communities.

21. And some risks
Of over-using the same case study | territory
Of missing the balance between theory and practice
(from too “academic” to too “professional”)

22. Final Ideas
Dare to improvise if that means to grasp the
opportunity;
To be flexible and adapt methods to students needs;
To give importance to public exposure, fieldtrips,
agents’ interaction;
To not over do it!
An alternative to students without the “traditional”
architectural skills.

23. References
SILVA, P., (2014), «Teaching urban form in public administration
context: aims and challenges», in OLIVEIRA, V., PINHO, P.,
BATISTA, L., PATATAS, T. (eds.), Our common future in urban
morphology, FEUP, Porto, p. 394
SILVA, P., FARRALL, H., (2016), «Lessons from informal
settlements: a ‘peripheral’ problem with self-organising solutions»,
in DE ROO, G., ZHANG, S. (eds.), Town Planning Review, special
issue Self-Organization and Spatial Planning, Liverpool University
Press, Liverpool

24. Obrigado!