Management and Monitoring
Management Structure
The management of the Property is performed by the Association RUAS, created for that purpose. The model is innovative and gathers the official institutions with legal jurisdiction and operation in the nominated territory. From these, three have executive responsibilities within the Association RUAS: the University of Coimbra (UC), the Municipality of Coimbra (CMC) and the Regional Office of State Secretary of Culture. The General Assembly also includes - without executive responsibility - other institutions, as well as owners and other social agents whose activity is somehow related with the Property or with the Protection Zone.
This structure is already working. Presently it assures the main responsibility of safeguarding the Property and follow-up of the Management Plan.
Main Legal instruments for Protection
The Property “University of Coimbra – Alta and Sofia” is jointly protected by five safeguard instruments, whose articulated use, in this context, is made by the Association RUAS, manager of the Property:
- National law on the Cultural Heritage: Lei nº 107 / 2001, de 8 de setembro, wich establishes the basic politics for the protection and promotion of the cultural heritage. It is regulated by the Decreto-Lei nº 309/2009 de 23 de outubro.
- Announcement no 14917/2013, published in the National Official Journal in December 2013: publication of inscription on the World Heritage List of UNESCO; protection of the Property as National Monument and definition of the Special Protection Zone;
- Municipal Regulation of Urban Building, Recovery and Reconversion of the area adjoining to the nomination of the University of Coimbra to World Heritage by UNESCO, including the Protection Area (published in the National Official Journal in January 2012; effective since March 2012);
- Coimbra Municipal Master Plan (2014);
- Strategic Plan for the City of Coimbra (2010): in this plan the definition and the regulation of the Urban Rehabilitation Areas (ARUs) is particularly relevant and those are the priority areas of intervention for urban rehabilitation.