In 2019, UNESCO awarded the University of Porto, through the Faculty of Architecture of the University of Porto (FAUP), the Chair “Heritage, Cities and Landscapes: Sustainable Management, Conservation, Planning and Project”.

This is the first UNESCO Chair granted to the University of Porto in the field of Cultural Heritage, resulting from a rigorous evaluation conducted by an international panel of experts, following an application submitted by FAUP. The Chair’s primary areas of activity include teaching and advanced training, research, knowledge transfer, and international cooperation.

The establishment of this Chair represents significant recognition of the work carried out over several years at FAUP and at the Centre for Studies in Architecture and Urbanism (CEAU), currently designated as the Nuno Portas Centre for Studies (CENP), in promoting the safeguarding and enhancement of cultural heritage as a resource and driver for the qualified development of territories, cities, and landscapes.

As its name suggests, the Chair focuses on the management and conservation of cultural heritage, as well as on planning and design processes, with the aim of promoting high-quality contemporary interventions in heritage assets.

“It is not only about safeguarding cultural heritage, but also about adopting an operational approach to its valorisation and to the creation of new forms of heritage, understood as a vector for the sustainable development of cities, landscapes, and territories,” notes the coordination team. In this sense, the contribution of the discipline of Architecture is affirmed as a catalyst for interdisciplinary cooperation and for integrating safeguarding and development, through a critical and qualified approach (in teaching, research, and practice) to contemporary intervention in the built heritage.

In line with the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Chair aims to develop innovative and sustainable practices in the management and enhancement of cultural heritage, understood simultaneously as a resource for development and as a value to be transmitted to future generations.

The Chair also seeks to support the management and new nomination processes for World Heritage sites, both in Portugal and internationally, particularly within the framework of North–South cooperation, including countries with Portuguese-influenced heritage (Africa, Asia, and South America).

The initiative aims to function as an open, participatory platform that fosters collaboration and promotes cooperation networks at both national and international levels (including NGOs, higher education institutions, public and private organisations, and the UNESCO Chairs network, among others).

This Chair aligns with FAUP’s strategy of diversifying its educational offer and consolidating scientific research of excellence within national and international collaborative networks. At the same time, it continues to promote best practices in interventions in the built heritage, as evidenced in the landmark works of its masters and currently sustained—both pedagogically and professionally—by their successors.

Among a wide range of previous initiatives, particular emphasis is placed on the interdisciplinary training unit “Heritage and Landscape: Management, Analysis, and Design”, coordinated by FAUP in collaboration with other faculties of the University of Porto (FLUP, FCUP, FEUP), as well as on the organisation of several research and dissemination events by CENP, in partnership with the Portuguese National Commission for UNESCO, ICOMOS-Portugal, municipalities, and other public and private entities, both nationally and internationally.

The initiatives developed within the scope of this Chair aim to establish a meaningful contribution to society, reinforcing the recognition of cultural heritage as a social construct intrinsically linked to community identity, valuation, and care.

Launched in 1992, the UNESCO Chairs Programme (UNITWIN) promotes international cooperation and networking among universities, with the aim of strengthening institutional capacities through knowledge sharing and collaborative work. The UNITWIN network brings together more than 700 institutions across 115 countries.

In Portugal, there are 24 UNESCO Chairs. In addition to the Chair “Heritage, Cities and Landscapes: Sustainable Management, Conservation, Planning and Design”, the University of Porto also hosts the Chairs “Life on Land”, coordinated by the Research Centre in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources (CIBIO-InBIO), and “Ocean Expert – Scientific Education of Children for Ocean Management: Supporting the Blue Economy”, coordinated by the Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research (CIIMAR).

The UNESCO Chair “Heritage, Cities and Landscapes: Sustainable Management, Conservation, Planning and Design” aims to promote an integrated system of research, training, information, and documentation in the fields of management, assessment, planning, conservation, and sustainable design within architectural heritage, cities, and landscapes. It seeks to foster collaboration among distinguished researchers and academics in Portugal and internationally, particularly in Europe, Africa, Asia and the Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as other regions worldwide.

• To provide graduate and postgraduate education and training in the fields of management, assessment, planning, conservation, and sustainable design within architectural heritage, cities, and landscapes, as well as related areas. It also aims to build capacity among students, cultural heritage managers, municipal technicians, and communities by promoting participatory, inclusive, and innovative educational models;

• To develop interdisciplinary research on themes related to the UNESCO Chair in collaboration with partners and to disseminate research outcomes widely;

• To foster informed debate, promote best practices, and disseminate shared knowledge through conferences and publications, thereby translating results into action guidelines and conservation practices in World Heritage contexts;

• To promote the implementation of the Recommendation on the Historic Urban Landscape, adopted by UNESCO in 2011;

• To support the preparation of new World Heritage nominations, particularly in Portugal;

• To actively cooperate with UNESCO and other UNESCO Chairs in relevant programmes and activities.

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