GEC Talks focuses on the presentation and debate of diverse works by researchers from the Governance, Economy and Citizenship Research Group (GEC) at DINÂMIA'CET-Iscte. The aim is to promote the collective work of this research group, in articulation with other DINÂMIA’CET research groups and the entire Iscte community, based on deepening the reflection on socio-economic change and territory. This revolves around themes that consider development and structural transformation, ranging from ways of thinking about it (and how we think about it at DINÂMIA'CET) to economic and industrial policy, as well as the debate surrounding contemporary forms of capitalism and the ways in which they condition the realization of political, economic, social, and cultural rights. The sessions take place in the late afternoon, in an informal environment for sharing ideas and seeking avenues for future collaborative work. Sessions: Cristina Pinheiro "Relatedness" and economic complexity as industrial policy tools 14 May, CVTT Club, 5:00 pm João Alcobia Essays on Macroeconomics and Structural Change in the Eurozone 28 May, Auditorium 306 (CVTT Building), 5:00 pm Rita Calvário Gender, Work and Territory: The Invisibilized Faces of Agriculture in Portugal 4 June, CVTT Club, 5:00 pm Carolina Henriques The question of transdisciplinarity in Portugal: what are the implications for an inter/transdisciplinary Research Unit? 27 June, Auditorium C103 (Building 2), 1:00 pm

The Political Ecology Network invites participation in the 4th Political Ecology Meeting, under the theme “Territories and Resistances”, which will take place from 23 to 25 May in Coimbra, and on 30 and 31 May and 1 June in Lisbon. The frontiers of capitalism are advancing, increasing the demand for new territories for the accumulation of wealth and power. Facing the destruction of territories and their human and non-human communities, we see the emergence of a pluriverse of resistances in defen c e of life. From the villages of Barroso against the mines, to the Alentejo facing the siege of monocultures, to the struggles for housing and against police violence in the cities, populations resist predatory extractivism and seek to make their territories live. From these and other struggles, maxims emerge regarding the centrality of territory as both concept and practice. They tell us that “territory is dignity, and that has no price” or that “territory is life, and life is not sold, it is loved and defended”, suggesting that territory goes beyond its hegemonic assumption. In this Meeting, we seek to challenge and confront dominant narratives and practices of territory as ‘property’ or ‘resource’ to be controlled, coloni z ed, developed, exploited, and sacrificed. Looking at territories as a geopolitical-economic space allows us to understand the extractivist dynamics of capitalism, while enabling us to advance alternative understandings and practices of/on/with territories. We want to look at territory(ies) as places of collective organi z ation and resistance(s), as a way to recreate culture and the relationship between people and the non-human ecologies that sustain them. Terrestrial territories, rural and urban, but also maritime ones (‘maritory’), digital, virtual, and ideological ones. Territory not as a physical space outside of us, but as a body that connects experiences — as well as violences — between our surroundings and our being. We also seek to understand the different forms of resistance, human and non-human, their ‘ecology’ (how they interact with each other), reflections on territoriality, and the possibilities of them becoming forms of re-existence, of making territories of life, of creating new utopias and possible futures. Furthermore, we also want to understand territories of violence, of re-patriarchali z ation and re-coloni z ation, and the multiple contexts of the production of absences of these resistances, in a context of exhaustion of body-territories. Our intention is not to essentiali z e territory as the preferred scale of analysis and political action, but to expand the very understanding of what a territory is — its relevance, limitations, contradictions, and potentialities for political-ecological resistances and re/existences. The Meeting is organi z ed by an emerging collective of groups and people constituted within the Political Ecology Network, which includes: the Centre  for Social Studies (CES) of the University of Coimbra, through the Ecology and Society Workshop (ECOSOC) and with the support of the TRANS-Lighthouses project; the Research Centre  for Anthropology and Health; the Network Centre  for Research in Anthropology (CRIA) and the Centre  for Socioeconomic and Territorial Studies (DINAMIA'CET) of ISCTE - University Institute of Lisbon; the Institute of Social Sciences of the University of Lisbon (ICS-UL); the Environment, Territory and Society research group (SHIFT) of the University of Lisbon; Malha Cooperativa; and Jornal MAPA; in addition to the support and collaboration of other institutions and collectives including the Visual Anthropology Nucleus of the University of Coimbra, Real República de Bota-Abaixo, República dos Inkas, Cooperativa Rizoma, Coletivo à Mesa, and the La Salsa del Pueblo collective. The Meeting itself aspires to be a territory of feeling, thinking, and acting together to exchange knowledge and foster collaborations and synergies between territories, movements, struggles, and resistances, inside and outside academia, including activists and local communities. To this end, we have included in the Programme  a diversity of academic and artistic proposals, as well as those from civic organi z ations and social movements, including papers, workshops, conversation circles, films, photographic exhibitions, and other creative interventions. Participation is free and does not require registration (except for 3 specific activities, specified in the program me ).

How are public spaces in metropolitan areas facing the future? What are the challenges and opportunities in an era where sustainability is increasingly an imperative? On 3 June, we invite everyone to reflect on these questions at the “Lugar Comum”  [Common Place] seminar. The seminar will present the results of research conducted in the municipalities of Almada and Odivelas, extending the reflection to the Lisbon Metropolitan Area. It will also feature the participation of designers, technical experts, and photographers, who will share their experiences and perspectives on these and other territories. As the keynote speaker, architect Mario Súñer, from the Batlleiroig studio in Barcelona, will bring an international and practical perspective drawn from interventions in public space, landscape, and territory. Ranging from a more technical and pragmatic approach to one focused on the social and cultural representations of the extensive city, the two round tables offer an opportunity to reflect on the places we wish to inhabit and how we can reali z e their transformation. It will also be an opportunity to debate innovative strategies for the creation or improvement of public space, considering its mobili z ing role in bringing communities together. Recogni z ing the central role of public space in urban life, the seminar is aimed at a diverse audience: the academic community—researchers, professors, and students—seeking to reflect on the importance of public space and the regeneration of metropolitan spaces; designers and municipal technical experts whose daily work encounters the issues studied in this project; and civil society groups with an interest and active role in these themes. Admission is free, subject to registration via the for m . More information at https://lugarcomum.pt/ . This project is funded by the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) and was developed at DINÂMIA’CET-Iscte. Full programme available here .

The 10th Doctoral Colloquium on the Architecture of Contemporary Metropolitan Territories  will take place on 26 and 29 May  at CIUL . The event will be streamed via the following li nk . Programme .

The Conference Mulheres, Mundos do Trabalho e Cidadania - Outros Olhares, Diferentes perpetivas  will take place from 22 to 25 October 2025 , in a hybrid format (online and in-person) at the Alcântara Library , Lisbon. For information on how to participate, please visit the website at https://confmulheres2025.great-site.net/ Program me .

The Research Seminar on the Architecture of Contemporary Metropolitan Territories  will take place on 26 March 2025, at 3:00 pm, in Auditorium 306 (Building 4 – CVTT). This second-semester seminar follows up on the theme addressed in the first session held in December. However, there will be a partnership with ICOMOS, integrating the seminar into the commemoration of the International Day for Monuments and Sites 2025, under the theme: Resilient Heritage in the Face of Catastrophes and Conflicts. In this regard, we will count on the participation of Teresa Patrício and Isabel Raposo de Magalhães. José Luís Saldanha, a professor at Iscte, and João Appleton, who will present his project work, will also participate. Free admission.

“Immaterial Matters: Unveiling the Presence of the Invisible” , has been selected as one of the six finalists of the Universities Competition for the 7th Lisbon Architecture Triennale 2025 . Under the theme “How Heavy is a City?”, this edition challenges us to rethink urban weight beyond its physical dimension — acknowledging the symbolic, social, and subjective layers that shape the urban experience. Immaterial Matters explores the city through its voids — spatial residues of industrial and urban processes that, rather than being marginal, reveal regenerative potential. The project investigates how these voids can resist the compulsion to build and consume, activating urban dynamics based on invisible and immaterial processes. It is grounded in a radical-utopian idealisation, transdisciplinary collaboration, and critical curatorial dissemination. The project was developed by Inês Nascimento , Raquel Lopes , Lorenzo Stefano Iannizzotto , and Elian Stefa  at Iscte - Instituto Universitário de Lisboa , within the framework of DINÂMIA'CET- Iscte and the PhD Programme in Architecture of Contemporary Metropolitan Territories, under the scientific coordination of Alexandra Paio .

Susana Azevedo's PhD Public Defense Date:  July 3, 2025 Time:  10:30 AM Location:  Room B327, 3rd Floor, Building 4, Iscte. Architecture and Health: The Role of the Built Environment in Healthy Aging This is an innovative investigation conducted at ISCTE-IUL that analyzes one of the greatest social, economic, and political transformations of the 21st century: population aging. Led by Susana Azevedo , the study "Architecture, Health, and Healthy Aging: Planning, Practice, and Future Challenges" analyzes the influence of the built environment of buildings on the health and well-being of elderly people living in Residential Structures for the Elderly (ERPI). The research shows how the architecture and interior design of these spaces play an essential role in the quality of life of this population, offering fundamental contributions to architectural planning aimed at a prosperous and healthy aging. Portugal is currently the second most aging country in the European Union, highlighting the urgent need to reflect on the aging population and develop strategies to promote healthy aging. The study emphasizes the crucial role of the built environment in responding to the needs of an increasingly aging and long-lived population. "The additional years of life must be lived with health and quality," says Susana Azevedo. "The built environment is one of the determining factors in promoting this quality of life." The results confirm that architectural features, such as the functional organization and the relationship between spaces, accessibility, lighting, and interior design, directly influence the physical, cognitive, and social capacities of elderly people. One of the most important contributions of the research was the adaptation and validation of the Sheffield Care Environment Assessment Matrix (SCEAM) for the Portuguese context, resulting in the creation of the PT-SCEAM version, an essential tool for assessing the quality of life provided by the built environment of buildings. This tool made it possible to conduct an innovative exploratory study in Portugal, which proves the significant impact of architecture and interior design on the health and well-being of the elderly. "The results of this study offer a solid foundation for transforming current planning and construction practices, ensuring that residential structures respond not only to physical, cognitive, and social needs but also promote healthy aging," says Susana Azevedo. In addition to pointing out new directions for future research, the thesis presents practical recommendations for caregivers, managers, architects, and political decision-makers, with the aim of promoting a person-centered approach and encouraging the development of more inclusive and humanized social facilities. The research was conducted as part of the PhD in Architecture at ISCTE-IUL, under the guidance of an interdisciplinary team composed of psychologist Sara Ramos and architect Vasco Moreira Rato. The results stand out for their innovative approach and potential impact on architectural practices and public policies related to aging. For more information, interviews, or access to the thesis, contact: Susana Azevedo susana.azevedo@iscte-iul.pt