VIII IBERIAN PLANNING CONGRESS
Covilhã (Portugal) - 27, 28 and 29 October 2011

AUP – Portuguese Association of Planners and AETU – Spanish Association of Planners have been organizing conferences since 1993 that over almost twenty years consolidated a fruitful professional exchange between the two countries in the area of ??Urban Planning.

After the Congress of Viana do Castelo (1993), Algarve (1999), Viseu (2003) and Ponta Delgada - Azores (2007), in Portugal, and
Valladolid (1995), Merida (2001) and Sevilla (2005), in Spain, it will be held at Covilhã (Portugal) the next congress with the theme "The cycle changes. A new urbanism”.

The choice of this inner city intended to reaffirm the importance of enhancing a balanced urban development in pursuit of greater social cohesion.
The fact that this is a country town with a less favorable air and train accessibility was not an obstacle to your choice, knowing that other values are enhancers of a good and participated conference.

This VIII Iberian Planning Congress proposes a wide debate on the issues which are considered to be essential for a more appropriate exercise of territory planning, to respond to current problems and challenges that emerge from the disciplinary context of a society in continuous and rapid transformation.

The analysis of the state of the art, which has long been being done, now came to an unavoidable end of cycle and need to change in order to improve, only possible throughout an effective realizing action. There is neither more time nor space for merely reflective approaches, absent of concrete or operational solutions.

For the change that is advocated is assertive, effective and evolving, is now required to extend the frontiers of knowledge, cross the most diverse realities, evaluate the experience of the practices implemented and meet the advances of scientific research.

A new urbanism, leading to a best result of human actions on the territory, causing either the balance of physical factors, whether the successive adaptations of human factors, should involve:

• Practicing a more demanding ordering for a more rational use of resources;

• The definition of a clear stabilization policy of the use and vocations of soil in a sustainability perspective, meaning environmentally responsible.

• Consideration of public space and the importance of its drawing as a structural component of urban forms and ways of life associated;

• Adoption of a truly integrated view of old and new city and a cross-cutting strategy in fostering experiential continuities;

• Rigorous evaluation of the economic variables and their correlation with local and regional sustainability, such as support base and increasing territorial competitiveness.

The sense of urban intervention in changing society must also be based on a very clear awareness of the role that citizens have in general at planning and management of their territories.

Pedro Guimarães, AUP President