The heritage landscape development of Évora peri-urban area

Abstract

Évora (the Lusitanian Ebora), the most important town in Alentejo province (Southern Portugal) is in-volved by a cultural landscape where not only archaeological sites of several epochs are present, but also old fields networks and farms as well as specific agro forestry pastoral systems, the montados. In this study were analysed the relationship between the ancient cadastral networks (particularly, the Augustan Roman cadastral networks, the Late Empire Roman cadastral networks and the Medieval ground parcels network) and the actual properties in land network feature. A detailed cartography of the old cadastral networks was done through the initial interpretation of 1958-67 vertical aerial photos, and validation with 2007 vertical aerial photos (approximate scale: 1:10 000) and land surveys, which allowed to delimitate the best preserved sectors and marks around Évora. As many of these marks remained integrated during long time in the landscape auto organization process, the mor-phology of the present parcel networks was conditioned by them. A GIS based approach was developed to test the role of these marks as actual boundaries of properties, ground parcels, roads and canals. Fur-thermore the best preserved areas and marks around Évora concerning the old cadastral systems, the ecological corridors networks and the montados were identified. These elements were central to for se-lecting the most interesting places to install interpretation centers and thematic paths. The main steps for developing such centers were also described. The results of this study are indubitably very useful to sustainable land planning programs, since Évora City presents actually an important urban expansion dynamics with impacts in peri-urban landscape. This study is been held in the indicators working group of the project OTALEX C co-financed by the UE, POCTEP program and FEDER.