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Portugal with MIT


  • 2023/10/03: e-Planning Seminar at MIT, 20 years later: MIT's Dept. of Urban Studies & Planning welcomed Prof. Pedro Ferraz de Abreu, now a Visiting Scholar at MIT, in the Inaugural Session of the 2023 e-Planning Seminar. In an exceptional moment, 3 former Heads of the Department in the last 25 years, reflected on the merit of the e-Planning scientific approach, 20 years ago, when not many understood the real impact of the technology revolution in Planning and in all facets of Society. The audio of the session is already available. [MIT 2023 Seminar (MIT site)] [MIT 2023 Seminar (e-planning mirror site)]

  • 2023/01/30 e-Planning Seminar at MIT, 20 years later: MIT's Dept. of urban Studies and Planning is supporting offering a new "e-Planning Seminar" at MIT, 20 years after its first edition at MIT. Both Professors Joseph Ferreira Jr. (Head of Urban Information Systems) and Christopher Zegras (Head of MIT Dept. Urban Studies & Planning) endorsed the plan presented by by Prof. Pedro Ferraz de Abreu, CITIDEP President and Researcher at CIAUD-FA-UL, who taught the first e-Planning Seminar at MIT. [MIT 2023 Seminar] [e-Planning Seminar Program] [MIT letter ] [MIT 2003 Seminar]

  • 2022/11/18 e-Planning, Digital Transition and Local Government - Alentejo: Took place in Evora (CCDR-Alentejo) a Meeting with Presidents of Municipal Assemblies in Alentejo, with the Board of ANAM (Associação Nacional das Assembleias Municipais) and CITIDEP, in continuation of the productive previous Meeting at Monchique. This was another stop in the "e-Planning Tour in Portugal", following the celebrated Protocol between ANAM and CITIDEP. [Event Site] [registration] [Alentejo Meeting Program ] [Algarve Meeting]

  • 2022/07/16 e-Planning, Digital Transition & Local Government: Took place in Monchique a meeting with all Presidents of the Local Parliaments (Assembleias Municipais) in Algarve (17 Municipalities), with the Board of ANAM (Associação Nacional das Assembleias Municipais). At this meeting it was discussed the agenda for the Digital Transition, with ANAM's Guest, Prof. Pedro Ferraz de Abreu, as CITIDEP President and Coordinator of the "e-Planning Consortium", to present e-Planning approach and proposals, as framed in the Protocol celebrated between ANAM and CITIDEP. News reporting this meeting was published in several public media, including 7 regional newspapers. [noticia] [ mais info - site da ANAM] [mais info - site citidep]

  • 2022/6/03 e-Planning and Environmental (in)Justice: Took place another "e-Planning Talk", this time with Prof. Lucie Laurian, pioneer in the field of Environmental (In)Justice. Prof. Lucie Laurian, Head of the Dept. of Urban Planning at the University of Iowa, USA, and a member of CITIDEP, has been one of the e-Planners guest speakers at the international talks in the PhD course "e-Planning Foundations" in the Joint PhD Program of e-Planning (FC-UL, FCT-UNL, FA-UL). [Poster] [video] [e-Planning PhD Program]

  • 2022/5/11 e-Planning Project approved at CIAUD-FA-UL: Following an invitation, and supported by a letter from Prof. Beirão (FA-UL), the CIAUD Assembly (Research Center of Architecture, Urbanism and Design) approved Professor Pedro Ferraz de Abreu's research proposal on "e-Planning for Digital Transition at Municipal Level" and his admission as efective member of this Research Center [home page] [project page]

  • 2021/10/19 e-Planning in Parliament, with CITIDEP, MIT and ANAM: Following a previous hearing on the e-Planning approach, the President of the Culture and Communication Commission of the Assembly of the Republic, Deputy Prof. Alexandre Quintanilha, convened CITIDEP for a in-loco hearing on October 19, 2021, at the Assembly of the Republic. The President of CITIDEP, Prof. Pedro Ferraz de Abreu, was present in person, but the hearing was also attended remotely, with invited partners associated with the Consortium e-Planning: Prof. Joe Ferreira Jr, MIT; Dr. Albino Moreira, President of the National Association of Municipal Assemblies (ANAM); Dr. Vasco Lupi Costa, Chairman of the General Assembly of Rarissimas; Prof. Gloria Ramalho, Director of CITIDEP Courses Dept.; Prof. Eberval de Castro, Director of the Campus of the Federal Institute of S. Paulo, and Prof. Muriel de Oliveira Gavira, the representative of the Univ. of Campinas (UNICAMP), Brazil, at the e-Planning Consortium. Professor Joe Ferreira's (MIT) statement was presented in english, to an interested audience. [Video and Support Documents] [previous press release] [video and info from previous Hearing]


  • 2021/02/19 e-Planning Book: 'e-Planning & Ubiquity' Book Release, by 14h30, at Sala do Senado , Reitoria da Universidade de Lisboa. Prof. Pedro Ferraz de Abreu, Fac. Arquitectura da U. de Lisboa, is the Coordinator and principal author of this book, which incorporates contributions from more than 30 researchers. The event can be joined at a zoom room. More than 60 people joined to listen to the several presentations, and participated with many comments. You can watch the full video. To buy the Book, email to : citidep@gmail.com, jadiel.au@hotmail.com, pfa@mit.edu. [book release site] [video]


  • 2021/01/12 e-Planning Events: Michael Batty (Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis - CASA, University College London), Talk on "Artificial Intelligence and the Computable City" , hosted by Profs. Pedro Ferraz de Abreu and José Beirão, and Fac. Architecture (University of Lisbon) e-Planning courses "Smart Cities and Digital Citizenship", and "Artificial Intelligence in Planning". This was an open and free event, but with mandatory pre-registration to be admitted in the zoom room. The session was videotaped. [Talk page] [Talk video] [Talk pdf] [FA-UL page] [ talk information]


  • 2020/12/02 The letter from ANAM (Associação Nacional de Assembleias Municipais ) to join the e-Planning Consortium, was very well received by all partners in this community, in particular given the representation of all cities and municipalities of Portugal that brings to the Consortium. Welcome, ANAM.


  • 2020/09/20 Admission of e-Planning doctoral students: For the new year 2020/21, 6 (six) new doctoral students were admitted in the joint doctoral program on e-Planning, in the first two phases: 5 at FA-UL, 1 at FCT-UNL. We welcome the new students. The formal opening session will be on the 7th October 2020, 15h30, at FA-UL, joinable by zoom remote link. Mask use and social distancing is mandatory within FA-UL facilities.

  • 2019/10/02. It was celebrated a protocol between CITIDEP (Research Center on Information Technologies and Participatory Democracy) and the "Centro de Tecnologia de Informação (CTI)-Renato Archer", a research unit of the Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia, Inovações e Comunicações Ð MCTIC , Brasil, at the city of Campinas, in the sequence of this Center joining the e-Planning Consortium (UA, UL, UNL) [PICT with Director of CTI].

  • 2019/07/17 New e-Planning - Pos-graduation Course: the Science Council of the Faculty of Architecture of the University of Lisbon approved a new course of advanced studies on e-Planning. The course does not have the same requirements of a degree program (no thesis), and aims to respond to training needs and required qualifications both in private and public sector. [ eplanning pos-grad site at FA-UL ].


  • 2019/04/24 New Faculty Joins the Joint e-Planning PhD Program. The Joint Science Committee for the Joint PhD Program on e-Planning (UA, UL, UNL), approved the formal request by the Faculty of Architecture of the University of Lisbon, to join the e-Planning Program and Consortium. We warmly welcome FA-UL. [ eplanning PhD site at FA-UL ].


  • 2019/02/26 e-Planning at the Parliament: The Committee for Culture, Communications, Youth and Sports of Assembleia da Repœblica (Portuguese Parliament), received in a Public Hearing, a delegation of the e-Planning Consortium and CITIDEP, concerning the new MIT (USA) initiative, and the strategic opportunities it brings for Portugal. MIT just launched a new "College of Computing and Artificial Intelligence", with a billion dollar budget, as transdisciplinary and not just centered on technology. This connection with Social Sciences and Ethics, coincides with e-Planning approach in Portugal. The delegation was led by Prof. Pedro Ferraz de Abreu, as Coordinator of the informal Consortium, and CITIDEP President. [press release] [video & docs]

  • 2019/01/25 e-Planning & Ubiquity: Took place at FCT-UNL, eLearning lab, the International Workshop 'e-Planning & Ubiquity' , chaired by Prof. Pedro Ferraz de Abreu and pos-doc ePlanning Grantee, Dra Karine Pinheiro, with the participation of researchers from 3 continents (Melbourne, Singapura, Londres, Lisboa, Porto, Campinas, Crateus-Ceara', among others). An important keynote by Prof. Joseph Ferreira Jr., MIT, who presented for the first time in Portugal, the recent MIT College for Computing & AI, and the new degree on Urbanism & Computing, which shows a strong e-Planning trend going on Academia. [Workshop site] [videos] [photos & docs]

  • 2018/10/15 MIT New College, like e-Planning: MIT announced a new $1 billion investment to launch the new MIT Stephen A. Schwarzman College of Computing, as "an interdisciplinary hub for work in computer science, AI, data science, and related fields", to address the global opportunities and challenges presented by the prevalence of computing and the rise of artificial intelligence (AI). MIT former Science Council Chair, Prof. Bish Sanyal, called Prof. Pedro Ferraz de Abreu, to congratulate on the consolidation of an e-Planning approach, launched at MIT in 2003. In fact, like e-Planning, this New College intends to allow "the future of computing and AI to be shaped by insights from all other disciplines" (...) "educate students in every discipline to responsibly use and develop AI and computing technologies to help make a better world". [MIT News] [MIT e-Planning 2003] [Comparing New College vs. e-Planning]

  • 2018/07/06 The keynote at the IX Conference on Management, Hospitality & Tourism, Universidade do Algarve (Campus da Penha), was delivered by Prof. Pedro Ferraz de Abreu, as part of a process with the organizers, to join the e-Planning Consortium (informal). The keynote was on "Citizen & Capital Mobility Today: The e-Planning Framework". [site] [poster] [abstract]

  • 2018/07/03 e-Planning pos-doc Grant: Prof. Doutora Karine Pinheiro, e-Planning pos-doc at Universidade de Aveiro, was one of the few 50 Brasilians researchers to receive a CAPES (Brasil) Grant for foreign stays - in this case, in Portugal. Karine Pinheiro leads a transdiciplinary research on Ubíquos Scenarios and the new ways to do Science, under the supervision of Prof. Doutor Pedro Ferraz de Abreu. Our congratulations to the Grantee.

  • 2017/10/10: Academic Interchange: Took place in the Senate Room at Reitoria of the University of Lisbon, an important meeting, in which a key agenda item was the e-Planning Consortium. Were present, among others, the following faculty: J.M. Pinto Paixão (Vice-Reitor da ULisboa), P. Ferraz de Abreu (UA and e-Planning Consortium Coordinator), M. Milani (UNICAMP, Brasil), J. Fidalgo (CITIDEP and U. Catolica), Karine Pinheiro (Sec. Estado Ciencia, Ceara', Brasil, pos-doc at UA), J. Cabral (F. Arquitectura-ULisboa), J. Rodrigues (ISCAL-IPL), J.M. Telhada (FC-ULisboa). e-Planning products emerging can count, a protocol FCA-UNICAMP-ULisboa e UA, and steps towrds e-Planning at IPL, in particular ISCAL, with interesting horizons ahead. [photo]


  • 2017/06/01: e-Planning & CPLP: Took place in the CPLP's headquarters in Lisbon, the Audience with the Executive Secretary of CPLP, Dra Maria do Carmo Trovoada Silveira, and CITIDEP President, Prof. Pedro Ferraz de Abreu, as the e-Planning Consortium Coordinator and Team Director for the Green Paper "Information and Communication Technologies for Inclusion and Cohesion at the Service of Sustainable Development in the space of Portuguese Language". Was also present Dr. José Moreira, from the project coordination - pelouro "Lusofonia and Atlantic Ocean".[encontro] [cplp]


  • 2017/05/12 An e-Planning Mission in Brasil took place in May 2017. The mission, led by Prof. Pedro Ferraz de Abreu (Catedrático convidado at U. Aveiro), representing the University President, Prof. Manuel Assunção, was funded by IBICT (Min. Science of Brasil), Centro de Tecnologia da Informação (Min. Science, Brasil / Campinas), Fac. of Applied Sciences of UNICAMP; with other events hosted by the Camara de Deputados (Brasil Parliament) and Legislative Assembly of Ceara'. [Talks in Brasil]

  • 2017/04/21 Admission Period is open for 2017/18 e-Planning Doctoral Program candidates. Interested students can apply on-line for any of the institutes, and all students can take courses in any of them. At FCT-UNL , and for UA at paco.ua.pt/Candidaturas

  • 2017/04/02 Another e-Planning PhD Grant: Doctoral e-Planning student Vicente Dauce, Mo¸ãmbique, with Prof. Pedro Ferraz de Abreu (UA) as supervisor, signed a 3-year PhD Grant, won through a competitive application. Congratulations are due to the grantee.
  • 2015/10/15 e-Planning School Year Opening The e-Planning Doctoral Program began its 2015/2016 school year, with registered new students and normal functioning of course classes.

  • 2015/07/03 Took place at FC-UL the PhD Thesis Defense of e-Planning doctoral student Tania Fonseca, "e-Literacy, schools and municipalities towards a common goal: e-citizenship". A demanding Jury, with faculty from education sciences, statistics, e-planning, computer eng. urban planning and political sociology, questioned thoroughly this truly multidisciplinary thesis research. Tania Fonseca was up to the difficult challenge and was awarded the Joint Degree of PhD in e-Planning, by the University of Lisbon, the New University of Lisbon and the University of Aveiro. The thesis advisor and co-advisor were, respectively, Professors Pedro Ferraz de Abreu and John Potter. Our congratulations to Tania. [Tania with Juri] [Tania with Advisor and co-Advisor ]

  • 2015/06/22: Took place 22 to 24 de June 2015, the e-Planning Workshop Sustainable Territories, Brasilia, sponsored by the Ministry of Science and Innovation of Brasil, organized by IBICT-MCI and CITIDEP. The Secretary of State for Federal Mobility intervened, as well as a mission of e-Planners from Portugal, including Professors Joao Cabral, Pedro Ferraz de Abreu, pos-doc Dr. Heliomar Lima and PhD student Francesca Savoldi. [noticia] [programa] [poster]

  • 2015/05/27 The Oficial agency A3Es certifies the new edition of the Joint PhD Program on e-Planning for the maximum term stipulated in regulation : 6 years

  • 2014/05/03 Oficial agency A3Es certifies the new edition of the Joint PhD Program on e-Planning for the school year 2014/2015


  • 2014/02/28 e-Planning Forum 2014, 14h00 - 19h30, at FC-UL (Faculdade de Ciencias, Universidade de Lisboa), with e-Planning PhD student presentations, together with french visiting students from Institut Francais d'Urbanisme, Universite de Paris - and the presence of Vice-Presidents and Department Heads from the 3 Universities in the Joint PhD program (UA, UNL, UL) [Program].

  • 2012/07/31 Circular from the Science Committee of the Joint PhD Program on e-Planning concerning the school year 2012/2013 (pt)


  • 2012/05/04 e-Planning project award: The project presented at the "International e-Planning Workshop 2012" by Manon Richerme, "Urban sustainable street furniture integrating campus's information", was awarded as one of the 3 best sustainable proposals of the national Challenge GreenTic campus (out of 26 proposals from French students). Manon graduated from the Institut Français d'Urbanisme (U. Paris, France), is a member of JINU - Junior conseil pour l'Innovation Urbaine, and collaborates with CITIDEP-France.


  • 2012/04/23 Internacional e-Planning Workshop 2012, 10h30 - 19h30, at Faculdade de Ciencias, Universidade de Lisboa, Campo Grande, Lisboa), with the participation of U. Paris - Institut Français d'Urbanisme, Unicamp (Brasil), MIT - Dept. Urban Studies and Planning (USA), U. Madrid, and several portuguese Universities (UA, UNL, UL, UTL), hosted by the Deans of ISCSP-UTL e FC-UL. [Program].


  • 2011/12/14 e-Planning Forum 2011, 14h00 - 19h30, at FLAD (Luso-American Foundation for Development), R. Sacramento a Lapa, Lisboa, with the presence of Vice-Presidents and Department Heads from the 4 Universities (UA, UNL, UL, UTL) [Program] [Videos].

  • 2011/09/18 Grants for ePlanning PhD students, To this date, the following ePlanning PhD students obtained competitive full Grants from FCT-MCES : Francesca Savoldi, Italy (ISCSP-UTL); Paulo Baptista, Portugal (UA); Lanka Horstink, Holland (ISCSP-UTL); Tania Fonseca, Portugal-Açores (ISCSP-UTL). Our congratulations to the grantees.

  • 2011/07/12 ePlanning Joint Reviews MIT-Portugal, Took place by 18h30 at LabTec ePlanning / ISCSP-UTL, the PhD student presentations of their projects for the "core" course (mandatory) ePlanning Living Lab , for the first time as a "Joint Review" with MIT-DUSP, with Profs. Michael Flaxman (MIT) and Pedro Ferraz de Abreu (UTL), with the process followed by the Associate Head of the Dept. Urban Studies and Plannng at MIT.

  • 2010/11/17 e-Planning Forum 2010, 14h00 - 19h30, at FLAD (Luso-American Foundation for Development), R. Sacramento a Lapa, Lisboa, with the presence of Vice-Presidents and Department Heads from the 4 Universities (UA, UNL, UL, UTL) [Program].

  • 2009/10/01It was presented the Joint Phd on e-Planning (18h00, FCSH-UNL, Av. Berna, Lisboa), with the presence of Vice-Presidents, Deans and Department Heads from the 4 Universities (UA, UNL, UL, UTL), and the intervention of the Associated Head of the Dept. Urban Studies and Planning of MIT . Many PhD students and faculty attended the event. [Video] [Program]

  • 2009/03/16 DGES (Ministry of Science and Higher Education, Portugal) accepted the registration of the new e-Planning joint PhD Program offered by 4 Universities (UL, UNL, UTL, UA). Interested students may now apply for next school year 2009/2010.

  • 2009/01/16 It was submitted for registration at the DGES (Ministry of Science and Higher Education, Portugal) the form with the new e-Planning joint PhD Program (UL, UNL, UTL, UA), signed by the Science Council Chairs of all proponent Institutes within the 4 Universities.

  • 2008/12/18 The proposal for the Joint PhD Program on e-Planning (UL, UNL, UTL, UA) was already approved in all Departments, Institutes, Colleges, Senates and Presidencies of all the proponent Universitites.


  • 2008/03/27 Took place the International Colloquium on e-Planning, with keynote of the Reitor da Universidade Tecnica de Lisboa, and participation of MIT (USA) and 5 Universities and Politechnique Institutes of Portugal, laying the foundation for the e-Planning Joint PhD program. [Colloquium Program] [Joint PhD].

  • 2008/03/18 Approved by the Ministry the e-Planning PhD at ISCSP-UTL [Despacho de Adequação a Bolonha ]

  • 2008/02/23 Article on "Expresso" about e-Planning for MIT-Portugal initiative

  • 2007/12/17 PhD on e-Planning approved at ISCSP-UTL

  • 2007/05/15 Presented by FC-UL the first draft (PAA) of a proposal towards a joint PhD on e-Planning

  • 2007/05/01 Created the CITIDEP LabTec Team for the Network of Laboratories of Technology for Social Sciences

  • 2006/10/01 Article on "Expresso" about e-Planning for MIT-Portugal initiative

  • 2006/08/01 MIT Assessment Report (sel. on e-Planning)

  • 2006/06/15 Release 2 of the Proposal "Towards e-Planning for MIT-Portugal"

  • 2006/05/20 Release 1 of the Proposal "Towards e-Planning for MIT-Portugal"

  • 2006/05/17 MIT-DUSP statements in support of e-Planning for MIT-Portugal

  • 2006/04/01 First memorandum (PFA) proposing e-Planning for MIT-Portugal

  • 2004/03/01 ACSP news Feb-March 2004: MIT hosted the second International Conference on Public Participation and Information Technologies in November. The event was cosponsored by the Department of Urban Studies and Planning (DUSP) and CITIDEP. CITIDEP, founded in 1996 by DUSP alum Pedro Ferraz de Abreu,is a non-profit research institution with a focus on information technology and partici- patory democracy. It includes 90 fellows in 10 countries, with headquarters in Lisbon, Portugal. (in http://gis.sarup.uwm.edu/acsp/news/FebMarch2004/schoolnews_FebMarch_2004.htm#MIT)


  • 2003/11/12 MIT hosted the International Conference on Public Participation and Information Technologies (ICPPIT-03), co-organized by MIT-DUSP and CITIDEP, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, USA, November 10-12, 2003 [MIT site] [CITIDEP site]

  • 2003/09/01 First e-Planning Seminar (PFA) at MIT-DUSP