• Set 18 – Consider the improvement of areas surrounding infrastructures or ‘right-of – way’ areas for social and recreational uses or to nature enhancement (green corridors, urban agriculture, bike paths, habitat restoration programs, water retention basins, among others); consider poles with particular shapes, involving in its design artistic considerations – infrasculpture or camouflaged poles; consider distribution cabinets and transformer stations as urban equipment, namely through its conversion (camouflage, coverage…) into elements of great visual interest (fig.13).
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Fig. 13. Enhancement of a landscape, affected by the placement of electrical infrastructures, aiming to accommodate social and recreational functions – case study in Lisbon region. |
2. Conclusion
As conclusion, it may be stated that this process – the design and development of the Manual and the interaction between landscape specialists and company technicians – was the beginning of a journey where issues concerning the value of the landscape played a major role, independently of the scale of intervention. Actually, this was the chief focus of this work – to convey the idea that landscape is a major asset that has to be respected and protected according to its quality, sensibility and character. As specialists in landscape, the authors consider that it is important not only to develop worthy landscape integration projects, but also to share the perception on landscape issues and principles with nonexperts who also act in the landscape. This view implied the formulation of guidelines that could be well understood and applied to the formulation of proposals by non-specialists. Some joint projects carried out, under this work, between the authors and technicians of the Electricity Company has evidenced that the proposed guidelines can not only help to design better layouts, as far as landscape is concerned, but also to provide comprehensive guidance, i. e., serve as a framework for well-balanced designs, in general terms and after taking into account the necessary technical issues. The Manual was only published last December and the authors expect to get more reactions from technicians and then assess the results of its implementation in practice. This monitoring and evaluation will allow future revisions and the refinement of the Manual.
