Rui Alexandre Castanho

Department of Technologies

VALORIZA – Research Center for the Valorization of Endogenous Resources

Portalegre Polytechnic University

Contact information

rui.castanho@ipportalegre.pt

ORCID: 0000-0003-1882-4801

CiênciaID: A813-1E6D-9591

Relevant links outside academia

Collaboration with MIT City Science / MIT Media Lab on City Science, territorial innovation, climate resilience, and approaches for low-density and cross-border regions; collaboration with the Salata Institute for Climate and Sustainability at Harvard University and the Real Colegio Complutense at Harvard (RCCH) on climate, sustainability, and territorial development initiatives; participation as European Climate Pact Ambassador in European Commission climate-action and stakeholder engagement activities; international collaboration with the University of Johannesburg on regional development, territorial governance, and sustainability; and collaboration with UNICAMP (Brazil) on territorial planning, environmental management, and sustainable development.

Expertise

  • Borderland Studies
  • Climate Change
  • Cross-border cooperation
  • Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
  • Landscape Architecture and Urban Public Spaces
  • Policy making
  • Political Geography and Geopolitics
  • Public Policy
  • Regional Development
  • Strategic Planning
  • Strategic Sustainable Tourism Policy making
  • Sustainable/Responsible Tourism
  • Urban And Regional Planning

Relevant projects

  • OBSTERRIT: Superación de obstáculos fronterizos en la raya/raia hispano-portuguesa para el desarrollo territorial sostenible. (Code: PID2024-161193OB-100) – Funding by Agencia Española de Investigación.
  • DEFEND: Democracy, Europe, Far-right Extremism, Neutralizing Dangers. Erasmus+ (ERASMUS+). Co-IP of the project. (Integrado Group Unis, Campo Mourão, Paraná – Brazil).
  • GE-EU-LESPI-ERASMUS. Co-IP and Professor in the Module B: Political Implications of GIG Economy: The Experience of the EU Countries; and Seminar III. (Integrado Group Unis, Campo Mourão, Paraná – Brazil).
  • The circular economy for sustainable community-based tourism: Tourism in Clarens, South Africa (2024 – ongoing). Through collaboration and innovative strategies, the local community within the tourism destination of Clarens has successfully managed their electricity demand, ensuring the continuity of business operations and economic activity. Act as an external consultant.
  • The impact of unsustainable environmental practices on local economic development): The case of the Hartbeespoort Dam region (2024 – ongoing). This project, still ongoing, aims to assess the detrimental effects of non-sustainable practices on tourism communities. Act as an external consultant.
  • SHORE: EmpOweR Students as the agents of cHangE. Code HORIZON-MISS-2022-OCEAN-01-08. Act as Leader Researcher from a partner Institution (Akademia WSB).
  • CREATOUR Project. Code CREATOUR Azores – Turning the Azores into a Creative Tourism Destination (ACORES-01-0145-FEDER-000127). Act as an external researcher.
  • GREAT. GREAT – Genuine Rural Experiences in the Azores Tourism; Code ACORES-01-0145-FEDER-000089. Act as a pos-doc researcher.
  • PRESERVING CONTINENTAL LAURISSILVA RELICS – LIFE PROJECT. LIFE16 NAT PT 000754 – LIFERELICT.