mapping urban change. the adaptive capacity of coastal fishing villages: the algarve (portugal) and...

SSS10 Proceedings of the 10th International Space Syntax Symposium

B P Mafalda, J Silva & T Heitor Mapping urban change. The adaptive capacity of coastal fishing villages: The Algarve (Portugal) and Paraná (Brazil)

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Mapping urban change. The adaptive capacity of coastal fishing villages: The Algarve (Portugal) and Paraná (Brazil)

Mafalda Batista Pacheco Instituto Superior Técnico/Universidade de Lisboa, IST/UL [email protected]

Jussara Silva Universidade Positivo [email protected] Teresa Heitor Instituto Superior Técnico/Universidade de Lisboa, IST/UL [email protected]

Abstract

“Sun & beach” tourism is often mentioned as one of the main generators of economic growth for coastal regions. Yet, to what extent is it possible to stimulate the adaptive capacity of the urban territory in order to promote and foster successful “sun & beach” tourism? This paper looks at new approaches to tourism development that are designed to preserve local identity, available natural resources and the socio-cultural heritage while reinvigorating the local economy and stimulating competitiveness. This implies a reconfiguration of urban planning strategies in order to support change, and it is argued here that improving the urban fabric and the tourism performance of coastal settlements requires, per se, a suitable application of space syntax methodologies, as well as an analysis combined with other morphological research methods.

The paper seeks to assess the effects of the industrialisation and massification of leisure activities and the impact of tourism input on four coastal fishing villages along two shorelines of the Atlantic Ocean: the Algarve coast (Portugal) and the Paraná coast (Brazil). Both regions were confronted with an unprecedented interest from the tourist industry, which led to an expansion of the built-up fabric and the road network, changing the relationship between the shoreline and the urban settlement. The lack of planning strategies has resulted in undesired impacts and has disrupted the biophysical and social systems of these habitats, with negative impacts that can be extremely costly for both the environment and society.

Different research methods were tested in the study of a sample composed of four coastal fishing settlements, using spatial analysis techniques related to space syntax theory (Carmona, 2014). Selected space syntax tools included axiality techniques, explored on two levels: the global analysis (the pattern of the relationship between the original/vernacular fishing nucleus and the whole settlement), and the local one (the size, scale and shape of the fishing nucleus). In loco surveys (observations and data collection) were also undertaken in order to identify the main physiographical characteristics and occupancy rates and to categorise the coastal front in three sub-sections according to the ecosystem type.

The results relating to spatial configuration indicated that: i) the two coasts have different structures as far as their geo-morphological and anthropogenic aspects are concerned: the Algarve coast has a "comb-like" linear structure, while the Paraná coast is organised in a "trident" shape; ii) the proximity between the integration core and the shoreline varies according to the urban network typology: two coastal fishing settlements present an integration core close to the shoreline, while the other ones

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present an integration core that is inside the urban settlement; iii) from the studied variables, the “shape” presents greater differences in the case of urban development, reinforcing the identity of the coastal fishing settlements.

The conclusions are that the built-up fabric of the coastal fishing settlement is undergoing a process of change, precipitated by both its internal needs and its external pressures, including the demands of “sun & beach” tourism. There is considerable evidence to suggest that there is an explicit relationship between the configurative properties of these settlements and their ability to support change, i.e. their adaptive capacity.

Keywords

Space syntax methodology, “Sun & Beach” tourism, urban evolution, Portuguese and Brazilian coastal settlements.

1.Introduction

Paraná (Brazil) and Algarve (Portugal), two shorelines of the Atlantic Ocean, are both faced with a strong impact of “sun & beach” tourism. They both reveal an unprecedented interest from the tourism sector, which has led to the expansion of the built-up fabric of their coastal fishing settlements. The lack of planning strategies has resulted in undesired impacts and disrupts the biophysical and social systems of these habitats, with negative impacts that can be extremely costly for both the environment and society.

The diversified tourist activity in these regions is still undergoing a consolidation process. Despite the current seasonality, due to the high impact of “sun & beach” tourism, both coastal areas offer many tourist attractions, which allow for the permanent development of the tourism sector, including a greater environmental, socio-economic and cultural diversity and a variety of ecosystems. Although valuable natural landscapes are protected by the legal framework, they face increasing levels of environmental degradation. Both regions need to increase their competitiveness in order to be better positioned in the tourism market, to enhance the regional economy and promote the quality of life of the populations.

The goal of this paper is to identify the effects of the industrialisation and massification of leisure activities and the impact of tourism on four coastal fishing villages along the Algarve coast (Portugal) and the Paraná coast (Brazil). Due to the tourist industry, both regions have been confronted with an unprecedented expansion of their built-up fabric and road network, changing the relationship between the shoreline and the urban settlement.

To what extent is it possible to stimulate the adaptive capacity of the urban territory in order to promote and foster successful “sun & beach” tourism, i.e. to preserve local identity, available natural resources and the socio-cultural heritage, while reinvigorating the local economy and stimulating competitiveness?

Two key issues are jointly explored: the anthropogenic and the geomorphological system, using different analytical approaches: a quantitative approach to the human-built environment, i.e. describing the built structure through its configurational properties; and a qualitative approach, reading the coastline’s geo-system according to its natural and physical features. This analysis requires, per se, a suitable application of configurational analysis methodologies, combined with other geomorphological research methods (Carmona, 2014). The quantitative approach is analysed by means of a space syntax toolbox, and the qualitative approach by means of an in loco Landscape Framing Method (MMA, 2006), which identifies landscape units through their homogeneous configurations. By combining these two approaches, it is possible to understand the contradictions, potentials, and limitations of landscape units, as well as the threats and the opportunities for further actions. The outcome will be evaluated and compared with the intended strategies for each of the landscape units.



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The paper is organised in three parts: the first one introduces the two coastlines; the second one explains the materials and the methods applied; and the third one presents and discusses the main findings.

2. General description of the Paraná and Algarve coastlines

2.1 The Paraná Coastline The Paraná coast is approximately 100 km from the Metropolitan Area of Curitiba, exhibiting close links with the capital of the state – Curitiba. It comprises the municipalities of Paranaguá, Guaraqueçaba, Antonina, Morretes, Pontal do Paraná, Matinhos and Guaratuba (Figure 1), which are served by a multimodal transport system, including several highways and the Curitiba-Paranaguá railway, one of the oldest in the country. It also has two regional airports, one in Paranaguá and the other in Guaratuba, which are capable of receiving private jets.

With a population of 265,392 inhabitants (IBGE, 2010), the Paraná coast receives an average of 1.5 million tourists per year (SETU, 2006). It offers a strong cultural, environmental and historical diversity that emphasises its tourist potential and identifies it as one of the hubs driving the state’s tourism. In addition to their highly diversified ecosystems, which are nationally and internationally recognised, the municipalities of Paranaguá, Antonina, and Morretes also exhibit historic settlements, which are listed at both state and federal levels.

Figure 1: The Paraná coast with its road infrastructure and major urban centres. (Population data refer to the municipality).

The Paraná coast covers a total of 6,057 km

2, corresponding to approximately 3% of the state’s

territory, of which 82.48% consists of areas covered by environmental protection and biodiversity conservation legislation. Despite the region’s large number of classified areas, full protection is not, however, guaranteed. The lack of financial funds and human resources prevents several of these areas from being open to the public. Moreover, the absence of any efficient and sustainable spatial development planning creates many conflicts with the local population, including the occurrence of environmental damage.



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Along the Paraná coast are a number of islands with different socio-environmental dynamics, which are subject to restrictions imposed by environmental protection legislation. Artisanal fishing and tourism are the main economic activities and provide an alternative means for their subsistence. Ecotourism is mainly located in the northern sector, in the Atlantic Rain Forest in the municipality of Guaraqueçaba. The highest concentration of urbanisation, as well as “sun & beach” resorts, is to be found in the southern sector in the municipalities of Matinhos and Guaratuba. The historic-cultural heritage is concentrated in the central sector, in the municipalities of Antonina, Paranaguá, Pontal do Paraná, and Morretes. Paranaguá and Antonina also include two major ports of strategic importance, representing one of the principal factors behind the socio-economic sustainability of Paraná. According to the Paraná Tourism Office, the central sector attracts the highest number of visitors, amounting to 66% of the total number of visitors to Paraná, while the northern sector corresponds to 1% and the southern sector to 12%. Relevant socioeconomic data relating to Paraná’s seven municipalities are summarised in Table 1. According to the latest census (2010), the permanent population is distributed very unevenly among these seven municipalities, which, combined with the difference in land use areas, results in very different densities. The extremes are Paranaguá, with only 14% of the total area and 53% of the population, and Guaraqueçaba, with 33% of the total area and only 3% of the population. The average population density is 46.43 people/sq. km, but it varies between 3.9 people/sq. km in Guaraqueçaba and 249.93 people/sq. km in Matinhos, followed by Paranaguá with 169.92 people/sq. km. Paranaguá, the region’s central hub, has a GDP per capita that is 5.5 times higher than that of the other municipalities, on average.

Municipality Area sq. km

Population 2010

Level of urbanisation %

Population density people/sq. km

Antonina 882.317 18,891 85.03 21.41

Guaraqueçaba 2,020.09 7,871 34.09 3.9

Guaratuba 1,326.791 32,095 89.75 24.19

Matinhos 117.743 29,428 99.49 249.93

Morretes 684.58 15,718 45.67 22.96

Paranaguá 826.674 140,469 96.38 169.92

Pontal do Paraná 199.873 20,920 99.15 104.67

Coastal region 6,058.068 265,392 90.48 46.43

Paraná state 199,315 10,444,526 85.33 52.25

Table 1: The figures for the municipalities of the Paraná coast (Sources: IBGE,2010). It is possible to identify three different groups: port areas – Paranaguá and Antonina; rural areas – Morretes and Guaraqueçaba; and “sun & beach” areas – Guaratuba, Matinhos and Pontal do Paraná.

2.2 The Algarve Coastline The Algarve coast is located in the south of Portugal, approximately 250 km from the capital – Lisbon and its Metropolitan Area. It is bordered to the south and west by the Atlantic Ocean, to the north by the Alentejo region, and to the east by the River Guadiana, the natural border with Spain. The Algarve's western region is known as the Barlavento (Windward) and its eastern region as the Sotavento (Leeward), and it has about 160 km of coastline. It is served by a multimodal transport system, including a motorway, as well as Inter-regional and Regional/Urban train services. The railway system is used to transport both passengers and goods. It is also served by Faro International Airport, the third largest airport in Portugal in terms of traffic (Figure 2). According to the National Statistical Institute, the region received about 3.05 million tourists in 2012. The region covers an area of 5,412 sq. km and has a population of 451,005 inhabitants (Census, 2011), divided into 16 municipalities of 4 groups: 1) Faro and Portimão, where some of the region’s



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key features are concentrated and which have the highest purchasing power in the region, show economic vitality, skills and a population dynamics that places these two municipalities at the highest regional level; 2) Vila do Bispo, Lagos, Lagoa, Albufeira and Loulé are municipalities of an essentially urban nature with a large non-resident population, having an extensive housing supply, with high levels of comfort, and also a dynamic labour market; 3) Silves, São Brás de Alportel, Olhão, Tavira and Vila Real de Santo António are mixed municipalities, displaying the trends and dynamics of urban coastal towns with a desertified inland region; 4) Aljezur, Monchique, Alcoutim and Castro Marim represent the "depopulated” inland group of municipalities, composed of territories at risk of desertification, with a shortage of economic activities, services and few support infrastructures (Guerreiro, 2008: 17).

Figure 2: The Algarve coast with its road infrastructure and major urban centres. (Population data refer to the municipality).

The relevant socioeconomic data about the different municipalities, which serve to identify the connections and disparities between them, are summarised in Table 2. According to the latest census (2011), the permanent population is distributed very unevenly among these seven municipalities, which, combined with the differences in their land areas, results in very different densities. Loulé has the largest total area (15%) and the largest population (21%), but also the lowest density; while Faro, with only 4% of the total area and 19% of the total population, has the highest density. The main towns are located on the coastline: Lagos, Portimão, Olhão, Faro and Tavira are port cities with fishing, commercial and recreational activities; Albufeira, Tavira, Lagos, Portimão and Faro are mostly tourist cities.

Municipality Area sq. km

Population 2011

Level of urbanisation %

Population density people/sq. km

Lagos 212.99 31,049 59.53 144.2

Portimão 182.06 55,614 72.46 302.90

Albufeira 140.66 40,828 48.18 284.70

Loulé 763.67 70,622 43.10 90.60

Faro 202.57 64,650 73.32 304.80

Olhão 130.86 45,396 62.44 345.40

Tavira 606.97 26,167 51.31 42.20

Algarve region 4,996.80 285,502 24.97 88.50

Continental Portugal 89,088.92 43.38 113.1

Table 2: The figures for the municipalities of the Algarve coast. (Source: Instituto Nacional de Estatística, 2011).



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The Algarve and Paraná coasts reveal a major difference in terms of their overall structure: the Algarve coast depicts a “comb-like” linear organisation, while the Paraná coast is organised in a “trident” shape (Figure 3).

Figure 3: Overall structure of the coastlines, Algarve with 160 km and Paraná with 98km, showing the main coastal cities and with the cities of the case study identified.

3. Materials and methods Different analytical approaches were combined and used together in order to understand the contradictions, potentials and limitations (Carmona, 2014) that directly impact on the performance of the urban system and the tourism activities of the Paraná and Algarve coastlines. The combined methods are the space syntax theory (Hillier, 1996; 1984) and the Landscape Framing Method (MMA, 2006; Silva, 2013). The Landscape Framing Method characterises landscape units using four variables: physical support, drainage pattern and structure, vegetation cover and occupation type (MMA, 2006). By connecting the natural and physical features of the urban system with its configurational and socio-functional features, it is possible to identify the transformation processes occurring in the coastline. “The morphology (characterisation of the form) and the physiology (characterisation of the physical attributes) of the landscapes can reveal the information required for the characterisation and classification of each sector of the coastline” (MMA, 2006: 37). The research involved the following steps: 1. Construction of the axial map and reading of the global integration; 2. Identification of the landscape units and their respective sectors; 3. Reading and identification of the characteristics of each landscape unit sector; 4. Development of the space syntax-Landscape Units’ matrix relating to the characterisation of each

sector and their global integration values from the space syntax analysis; 5. Mapping and crosschecking of the data resulting from the space syntax and Landscape Framing; 6. Establishment of the contradictions, potentials and limitations for each case study.

For the purpose of this research, the landscape units (delimited by their physical supports, such as beaches, unsheltered coast, mangrove forest, lagoon, dunes, salt fields, vegetation and/or urban fabric) were subdivided into sectors to better reveal the particularities of each sector. By crosschecking the quality of the natural attributes and the occupation trends, three general land use classes were defined, namely: Rustic (class A), Semi-rustic (class B) and Urban (class C) (MMA, 2006). Class A coastlines – Rustic. This class presents primitive ecosystems and a high level of environmental balance, with a diverse composition of species and a functional organisation capable of sustaining a balanced, integrated and adapted community of species, with a prevalence of low impact activities. It also has a very low level of occupation and a low potential for pollution. Class B coastlines – Semi-Rustic. This class presents partially or highly modified primitive ecosystems, with damaged conditions for natural regeneration caused by the exploitation, suppression, or replacement of some self-components owing to the occurrence of more highly integrated human settlements or to the impairment of their land and sea substrate, needing partial intervention to



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recover. It shows low and medium urbanisation, creating housing or tourist areas and corridors (historical or scenic). In this case, the vegetation covers more than 50% of the area of the sector, whether this vegetation is native, reforested or used for production purposes. Class C coastlines – Urban. This class presents most of its primitive ecosystems in an either degraded or suppressed condition, and its functional organisation has been eliminated. The remaining native vegetation persists as isolated niches, in a landscape where urban occupation is the predominant pattern. It has medium to high densification of constructions and resident populations, with human-altered landscapes, a multiplicity of uses and a high potential for pollution – air, water, soil, aesthetic, noise and/or visual pollution. According to Portuguese legislation, the delimitation of the coastline includes the strip along the coast, designated as a land protection zone, stretching to a maximum width of 500 metres inland from the shoreline, and the sea protection strip, stretching to a (bathymetric) depth of 30 metres (MCOTA, 1998). The Brazilian legislation also sets two parameters for the area designated as a land protection zone, stretching to a maximum width of 50 metres in urbanised areas and 200 metres in non-urbanised areas, while the sea protection strip stretches to a (bathymetric) depth of 10 metres (MMA, 2006).

4. Results and analysis of the coastlines

After characterising the occupation structure of the two coastlines, the research study focused on comparing two pairs of municipalities from Paraná and the Algarve, with different geographical contexts, urban structures, tourist dynamics and landscape changes resulting from “Sun & beach” tourism: 1) the municipalities of Olhão and Antonina, located on a bay/lagoon, without a direct beach shoreline, which still preserves a natural environment and where potential tourism is linked to historical economic activities, mainly fishing; 2) the municipalities of Quarteira and Guaratuba, located on the beach shoreline, with a linear urban development along the coastline characterised by high-rise buildings, linked to “sun & beach” resorts. For each municipality, the boundaries of the landscape units were established according to their similar dynamics (beach resort or bay). Then the landscape units were outlined on the basis of a cartographical and photographic survey (Cnes, 2014), identified by numbers (1, 2, 3, and 4) and divided into sectors (e.g. Olhão is landscape unit 2 and it is divided into 6 sectors LU1.1; LU1.2; LU1.3; LU1.4; LU1.5; and LU1.6). The information was summarised in the form of a matrix where the information from the readings was crosschecked: qualitative and quantitative, e.g. the general use classes (A, B, and C) and the type of access (one-time and/or continuous) to the beach resort/bay (qualitative reading) and the global integration values resulting from the syntactic analysis (quantitative reading). In Figure 4, the grey shaded areas correspond to the general land use classes and types of access to the beach resort/bay; the colour range from yellow to brown shows the overlapping of qualitative and quantitative variables. The information summarised in the matrix was also spatialised into three different situations: 1) global integration values for the municipality with the delimitation of the coastline studied; 2) identification of the general use classes within the areas delimited as coastline; and 3) the map showing the overlapping quantitative and qualitative variables. To check the tourist potential of these two case studies, i.e. their suitability for coping with tourism activities, the analysis was carried out individually by each sector regarding the two readings: qualitative and quantitative. Starting from the analysis of the configuration of the network of public spaces, the first thing to be noticed is the existence of conditions for both their socio-spatial integration and segregation. To reveal the attributes of the urban systems, these were assessed on the basis of their hierarchical



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structures, e.g. their level of topological accessibility. As the focus of the research is the spatial and social differences between the sectors, the option was to identify the effects of such structures on tourism activities as a whole and to check properties such as topological accessibility and the level of use and occupation, so that in the future they can be directly related to the potential for the implementation of specific tourist activities.

a)

COASTLINE ACCESS

C

continuous

onetime

B

continuous

onetime

A

continuous

onetime

b)

COASTLINE ACCESS

C

continuous

onetime

B

continuous

onetime

A

continuous

onetime

9, 8 7 6, 5 4 3, 2 1 low median high

SPACE SYNTAX

Figure 4: Overall structure of the classification of the sectors in the readings: qualitative (a) and quantitative (b).

4.1 The Olhão coastline The Olhão coastline is characterised by a prevalence of Class B – semi-rustic uses, which presents a median densification of constructions and population (Table 3 and Figure 5). As far as the social and spatial differences between the sectors are concerned, the following areas stand out in particular: a) LU2.3 – Consolidated area with a greater accessibility within the system; b) LU1.1 and LU3.4 – Still rustic areas with lesser accessibility. Availability of large non-human-

altered areas, corresponding to salt marshes; c) LU2.1 and LU3.2 – Area undergoing a consolidation process with good accessibility; d) LU2.2 and LU2.4 – Consolidated areas with moderate accessibility.

The urban/coastline sub-system of Olhão allows us to identify that the most segregated rustic areas can be found at the ends of the system, both in the east and in the west, formed by the LU1.1; LU3.4; and LU3.3 sectors. These areas have a potential for ecotourism, which is considered an important segment in the current market context, given that there is an increasing demand for naturally preserved sustainable destinations, where one can engage in leisure activities. In addition, this sub-system has four sectors that reveal little spatial differentiation, causing less intense movement, and which require changes in the road network in order to improve their integration into the global system. If sectors LU2.6 and LU3.1 are structured with more permeable and accessible roads, they will be more intensely consolidated into the urban system, allowing for the creation of several activities. Sectors LU2.2 and LU2.4, which are consolidated in terms of use and occupation, require better integration into the system, in order to enjoy more privileged accessibility.



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Figure 5: Olhão – a) global integration values for the town; b) identification of the general use classes; c) overlapping of the quantitative and qualitative variables, according to the matrix.

Table 3: Sectors of the landscape units of the Olhão coastline and how they fit into the general use typologies: types of access and global integration values.

COASTLINE ACCESS

C

continuous LU2.2 LU2.4 LU2.3

onetime

B


onetime LU3.1 LU3.2

A

continuous

onetime LU1.1 LU3.4 LU3.3

9, 8 7 6, 5 4 3, 2 1 low median high

SPACE SYNTAX



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4.2 The Antonina coastline The Antonina coastline (Table 4 and Figure 6), is characterised by the prevalence of Class (A) – rustic uses, which presents a very low occupation and a low potential for pollution. As far as the syntactic analysis is concerned, this shows an equal distribution between the two opposing categories of topological accessibility (low and high). As far as the social and spatial differences between the sectors are concerned, the following areas stand out in particular: a) LU1.2 – Consolidated area with a greater accessibility within the system; b) LU1.3 – Area undergoing consolidation with good accessibility; c) LU1.4 – Rustic area with good accessibility. Sector containing mangrove vegetation with a high environmental fragility, undergoing initial irregular occupation; d) LU1.1 and LU3.1 – Rustic areas with lesser accessibility. Sectors containing mangrove vegetation with a high environmental fragility; e) LU2.2 – Area undergoing consolidation with irregular occupation; f) LU4.1 – Consolidated area with port activity and difficult access. The urban/coastline sub-system of Antonina is lined by mangrove forests. The extreme value of the mangrove forests lies in the protection they provide to the coastline, the maintenance of the quality of the water, the high level of biological productivity, and the fact that they provide shelter, habitat and food to a wide and abundant variety of marine and terrestrial species. These areas of great environmental fragility are undergoing an informal urbanisation process (sectors LU1.1; LU1.4; LU2.1; LU2.2; and LU3.1.). As for the negative impacts from the environmental viewpoint, the main impact is the risk of exceeding the supporting capacity resulting from the growing uncontrolled use, especially owing to tourism demand. In addition, this sub-system has two consolidated sectors in terms of use and occupation, especially sector LU1.3, which needs improvements to the road network in order to enjoy more privileged accessibility.

COASTLINE ACCESS

C

continuous LU.1.2.

onetime LU4.1

B

continuous

onetime LU2.2 LU1.3

A

continuous LU1.1


9, 8 7 6, 5 4 3, 2 1 low median high

SPACE SYNTAX

Table 4: Sectors of the landscape units of the Antonina coastline and how they fit into the general use typologies; types of access, and global integration values.



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Figure 6: Antonina – a) global integration values for the town; b) identification of the general use classes; c) overlapping of the quantitative and qualitative variables, according to the matrix.

4.3 The Quarteira coastline The Quarteira coastline is characterised by an equal distribution among the three classes of use (Table 5 and Figure 7). As far as the syntactic analysis is concerned, it also shows an equal distribution among the three categories of axial values (low, median, and high). As far as the social and spatial differences between the sectors are concerned, the following areas stand out in particular: a) LU2.1 and LU2.2 – Consolidated areas with greater accessibility within the system and the

beachfront; b) LU2.3 and LU2.4 – Rustic areas with difficult access. Availability of large areas for urbanisation; c) LU1.2 – Area undergoing consolidation with good accessibility; d) LU1.1 - Area undergoing consolidation with difficult access.



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“Sun & beach” tourism has a special peculiarity in terms of its attractions, namely the sand strips, extremely popular among summer tourists, and requiring easy accessibility. The urban/coastline sub-system of Quarteira allows us to see that the most segregated areas with potential for more intense occupation are located at the ends of the system, which are formed by sectors LU1.1; LU2.3; and LU2.4. These areas have a potential for “sun & beach” tourism and they require changes in the road system in order to improve their integration into the global system.

Figure 7: Quarteira – a) global integration values for the town; b) identification of the general use classes; c) overlapping of the quantitative and qualitative variables, according to the matrix.



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COASTLINE ACCESS

C

continuous LU2.1 LU2.2

onetime

B

continuous LU1.1. LU1.2

onetime

A

continuous

onetime LU2.4 LU2.3

9, 8 7 6, 5 4 3, 2 1 low median high

SPACE SYNTAX

Table 5: Sectors of the landscape units of the Quarteira coastline and how they fit into the general use typologies; types of access, and global integration values.

4.4 The Guaratuba coastline The Guaratuba coastline (Table 6 and Fig 8) is characterised by the prevalence of class (C) – urban uses with a high densification of constructions and population. As far as the syntactic analysis is concerned, the axes are distributed into only three ranges. As far as the social and spatial differences between the sectors are concerned, the following areas stand out in particular: a) LU3.2 – consolidated areas with greater accessibility within the system; b) LU1.1 and LU2.1 – rustic areas with lesser accessibility. Areas with a high environmental fragility: LU1.1 is next to the mouth of the Boguaçu river with mangrove vegetation; LU2.1 is the slope of the Caeiras Hill; c) LU1.3; LU2.2; and LU2.3– areas undergoing consolidation with different levels of accessibility; d) LU4.1 – special rustic area – Morro do Cristo, with good accessibility; e) LU1.2 and LU1.4 – consolidated areas facing the bay with good accessibility; f) LU3.1; LU3.3; and LU4.2 – consolidated area facing the beach with good accessibility. The urban/coastline sub-system of Guaratuba has two bay Landscape Units (1 and 2) and two beach Landscape Units (3 and 4), and it allows us to see that the most segregated areas are those without any potential for intense occupation, located in regions with a high environmental fragility (LU1.1; LU2.1; and LU2.2. and LU2.3). The beach resort areas, with long sand strips, present intermediate topological accessibility, but they have a road system which, with only a few alterations, would allow for significant improvements in terms of its integration into the global system. In addition, this sub-system presents three sectors that reveal good topological accessibility, causing intense movement. These areas are occupied mainly by the resident population, most likely because they do not have a sand strip.



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COASTLINE ACCESS

C



B

continuous


A

continuous


9, 8 7 6, 5 4 3, 2 1 low median high

SPACE SYNTAX

Table 6: Sectors of landscape units of the Guaratuba coastline and how they fit into the general use typologies; types of access, and global integration values.

Figure 8: Guaratuba – a) global integration values for the municipality; b) identification of the general use classes; c) overlapping of the quantitative and qualitative variables, according to the matrix.



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5. Final considerations

These coastlines have as their major characteristic the attraction of tourists, mainly in connection with “Sun & Beach” activities. This kind of tourism is quite seasonal, and is concentrated above all in the summertime (between December and February – Brazil; and July and August – Portugal). The main contrasts between them relate almost exclusively to their general structures in terms of population and built-up features. While the Paraná coast receives on average 1.5 million tourists per year, the Algarve receives 3.05 million tourists. The analysis suggests a direct relation between the topological accessibility measures (low, median, and high) and the general use classes (A, B, and C), which are reflected in the performance of the urban system, especially in relation to tourism purposes. The environmental impacts associated with tourism activities, as well as the cultural impacts, may be considered in terms of their direct, indirect or induced effects. It is not possible to develop tourism without causing environmental impacts, but it is possible, with effective planning rules, to manage the development of tourism in order to minimise its negative impacts (Cooper, 2007). According to Santos “the assessment of the impact means the quantitative and qualitative interpretation of the ecological, social, cultural, or aesthetic changes in the environment.” (Santos, 2004: 110)

Despite the limitations and some inconsistencies that are to be expected in this type of approach, the methodology used has proven to be adequate for a first check and diagnosis of the overall situation of the coastline for planning tourism activities. Further research is necessary in order to understand the different positions of these municipalities within the network of coastal towns in both regions: Paraná and Algarve.

Table 7: Comparison of the parameters used for the analysis of the four coastlines.

Parameters of coastline

Olhão (Algarve)

Antonina (Paraná)

Quarteira (Algarve)

Guaratuba (Paraná)

Class mainly semi-rustic

mainly rustic

(without distinction)

mainly urban

Access continuous onetime continuous onetime

Global integration median/low high high high/median



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mapping urban change. the adaptive capacity of coastal fishing villages: the algarve (portugal) and...

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