In coastal areas, the tourism sector contributes to the local economy, generating income, employment, investments and tax revenues but the rapid urban expansion creates great pressure on local resources and infrastructures, with negative repercussions on the residents’ quality of life, but also compromising the visitor’s experience. These areas face problems such as the formation of meteorological effects known as heat islands, due to the soil sealing, and increased energy demand in the peak season. To evaluate the impact of urban growth spatial pattern and change, three strategic sustainable challenges—urban form, urban energy, and urban outdoor comfort—were selected. The progress towards sustainability was measured and analyzed in a tourist city in the Algarve region, Portugal, for the period 2007–2018, using geographic information. A set of 2D and 3D indicators was derived for the building and block scales. Then, a change assessment based on cluster analysis was performed, and three different trends of sustainable development were identified and mapped. Results allow detecting the urban growth patterns that lead to more sustainable urban areas. The study revealed that a high sustainable development was observed in 12% of the changed blocks in the study area. All indicators suggest that the growth pattern of the coastal area is in line with the studied sustainability dimensions. However, most of the blocks that changed between 2007 and 2018 (82%) followed a low sustainable development. These blocks had the lowest variation in the built volume and density, and consequently the lowest variations in the roof areas with good solar exposition. The urban development also privileged more detached and less compact buildings. This analysis will support the integration of 2D and 3D information into the planning process, assisting smart cities to comply with the sustainable development goals.

Coastal zones have experienced rapid urban growth over the last 50 years and this is expected to continue. The most important reasons for rapid land-use changes are related to real estate pressure and the construction of new urban infrastructures. Coastal systems support a wide variety of social, economic and natural services and are directly affected by multiple human activities. The downside of urban increase is reflected in the change of land-use cover, and land-cover from open areas to built-up areas, especially within the metropolitan cities on the coast. The aim of the paper is to evaluate the relationship between the decrease of large green areas in coastal zones and the efficiency of planning and regulation of those areas. For this purpose, we are presenting a comparison between two case-studies from different countries: Boa Viagem Beach in Recife (Brazil) and Rocha Beach in Portimão (Portugal). These two areas have similar socio-environmental problems. The method relies on two sources: literature review (national regulation and policy documents) and 37 semi-structured interviews with stakeholders/agents responsible for urban development of the two areas of study. The interview questionnaire comprised topics such as the national planning legal framework, the process of urban growth, the impact of densification and the problems related to the lack of green areas in the coastal zones. A 3D GIS model complements the geospatial references of the research, showing the localization of green areas and their decrease over time. The comparison on different aspects of development in the two countries shows that the rules tend to be more efficient in Portugal than in Brazil. However, in both countries, it is felt that more efficient legal instruments and enforcement action is necessary to lead developers to comply with the rules. The use of semi-structured interviews proved to be very effective for comparative analysis on national policies. The paper presents a cross-national perspective with different stakeholders' points of view on the issue of the scarcity of green areas in coastal zones, which is intended to provide helpful information to planners, scholars and administration officers.

Nowadays, some European countries are facing the most complex process of land-use/landcover change-the urban sprawl, which in turn has a compound impact on the social and environmental structure of urban areas. This study intends to analyse urban sprawl in mainland Portugal through a comparison of urban land cover changes during the period of 1990-2006, using urban systems as spatial reference units. CORINE Land Cover maps were used to generate time series of urban land cover data. A methodology based on the interaction value was applied to identify the urban systems, using the commuting matrix supplied by the 2001 Census. Urban land cover change analyses, at the urban systems level, allowed for the identification of artificial areas spread patterns. Such spatial information is essential for rethinking new actions that may contribute to more efficient urban planning.