TeMA - Journal of Land Use, Mobility and Environment

Editorial preface

Rosa Anna La Rocca — Mon, 04 Mar 2024 00:00:00 +0000

This Special Issue of TeMA - Journal of Land Use, Mobility and Environment proposes to delve into the concept of transition applied to urban and territorial systems with the aim of verifying the state of the art in scientific as well as in technical sector, also considering the effects of Covid-19pandemic crisis (Angiello, 2021). What is urgent is the need to change both social behaviors and the use of primary resources (water, energy and soil) which is claimed by technicians and scholars as the only solution to face environmental challenges affecting nowadays cities. These challenges and the linked risks are so relevant that an in-depth change in the operative actions as well as in the theoretical approaches has become mandatory, in order to avoid negative and disruptive effects. with this Special Issue we intended to draw the attention of technicians and scholars to the theme of urban transition which from many quarters seems to prefer the "ecological dimension" to pursue sustainability objectives. The eleven contributions received, while maintaining the underlying theme of the main theme, propose differentiated perspectives of sustainable transition which can be divided into three groups:

Methodologies and cognitive tools for urban transition
Urban policies and driver elements of the urban transition
Possible projects and applications for urban transition

The contributions of the first group propose analysis methodologies oriented to the knowledge of the changes affecting cities, they try to identify adaptation solutions suitable for these changes. In particular, the aspects relating to the vulnerability of cities to the effects of climate change, the need to develop adequate tools to support informed decision-making processes, to define territorial planning tools capable of integrating the transition through the construction of a system of clear rules. The contributions of the second group focus on the analysis of the effects deriving from climate change, highlighting the urgency of integrating adaptation and mitigation actions within the process of defining land use policies at different scales. Aspects relating to the framework of European "green" policies are explored in depth, as well as the need for integration between urban planning and environmental assessment tools, and the search for appropriate methods and tools to improve the adaptation and resilience capacity of urban systems to the need to define approaches based on a holistic and systemic vision for the knowledge of urban phenomena at different scales. The contributions of the third group allow for the building of a first cognitive framework related to research projects and/or urban planning practices aimed at identifying interventions to improve the conditions of urban sustainability, with particular attention to "fragile" territories (lagoon areas, internal areas, coastal areas). Aspects related to the feasibility of creating zero energy emission urban districts as well as the definition of actions for the protection of urban ecosystems are always explored in depth with a view to tracing practicable and sustainable trajectories of change.

Re-generate resilience to deal with climate change

Annunziata Palermo, Lucia Chieffallo, Sara Virgilio — Mon, 04 Mar 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Cities are vulnerable to the effects of the climate. Building resilience to contain the risks for inhabitants, businesses and infrastructures deriving from the impact of climate change represents a challenge for local planners and public decision-makers. To win it, it is necessary to include the most suitable adaptation actions to contain the conditions of vulnerability in the local urban regeneration processes. To this end, the authors have increased and applied a methodology for defining and mapping climatic vulnerability, with a particular focus on the built environment. The main element of integration and updating concerns the use of Copernicus satellite remote sensing data. The application to the case study demonstrates the adequacy of such data for the research needs and the relative utility in terms of spatial resolution of the results. The vulnerability map into a more accurate definition scale helps the planner to integrate the common regeneration goals with more specific climatic resilience goals. In fact, basing on the results obtained for the case study, the authors define adaptive design solutions aimed at regenerating local resilience in terms of liveability, efficiency and safety.

Spatial-cognition ontology models in policymaking: dealing with urban landmarks in literary narratives

Maria Rosaria Rossella Stufano Melone, Domenico Camarda — Mon, 04 Mar 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Urban complexity is expressed through multiple and multiform directions and dimensions. With the aim of operationally managing such complexity, scholars have recently started uneasy research toward the construction of system architectures to support informed and aware policymaking. In particular, agent-based modelling efforts have been developed using the so-called applied ontologies. These models appear promising towards supporting complex relational and cognitive interactions in processes of urban decisions. Increasing simulation and experimentation activities are now oriented towards the support of ontology-based spatial planning processes in the real world. In the current planning context, where natural discourses and narrations are embedded in participatory plans, useful answers can also be provided by the narrations of some literary works, in the aforementioned sense. The work we have carried out explores the spatial representations included in those narratives, trying to develop ontological analyzes based on complex structuring characters and features of the represented urban spaces. The work is based on multi-agent experiments carried out with university students, who have extracted some passages from literary works dealing with urban environments. In particular, the paper analyzes some narratives focused on the urban square (or 'piazza'), with the aim of drawing out an ontology of it including aspects of literary semantics.

Urban planning for biodiversity

Luca Lazzarini, Israa Mahmoud, Maria Chiara Pastore — Mon, 04 Mar 2024 00:00:00 +0000

In the latest debate on the urban planning-biodiversity nexus, a forefront attention is given to the possibility to embrace goals, targets, and indicators from the global, European, and national levels and to apply them at the local scale through targeted policies and specific actions. This article proposes an attempt to identify a theoretical framework for the integration of biodiversity in spatial planning processes at different scales, through mainstreaming ecological transition, rightsizing the strategies and policies for biodiversity recovering, and downscaling the different challenges in the local contexts. Afterward, a sample of Green Plans and Strategies from the Italian domestic context is analyzed across a deducted analytical framework including four dimensions: biodiversity goals, targets, commitment to implementation, and public participation. Results from the analysis emphasize the focus of the green plans generally oriented to conserve existing biodiverse urban areas rather than radically igniting new possibilities in spaces where biodiversity can be restored, or it is already present but not perceived by local communities. Lastly, the article highlights four gaps characterizing the biodiversity-planning nexus, in its theoretical and operational implications.

Integrating climate change adaptation into municipal masterplans through Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA)

Federica Isola, Sabrina Lai, Federica Leone, Corrado Zoppi — Mon, 04 Mar 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Adaptation to climate change and the need to deal with its impacts pose in evidence how important it is to identify and implement new planning practices that integrate these profiles into land-use policy-making. Within this conceptual framework, the identification of a system of plan objectives and actions that characterize the integration of climate change adaptation into planning policies, with particular reference to the local scale, is of particular importance. In this study, a methodology for implementing this integration is proposed through the establishment of a logical framework for the construction of municipal masterplans through strategic environmental assessment, as a pathway in which plans are formed and developed, as part of the assessment process, through the identification of a strategic system of objectives and an operational system of planning actions based on the integration of climate change adaptation into the plan formation process.

Transform Active cities facing the ecological transition

Gabriella Pultrone — Mon, 04 Mar 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Climate change is the latest a threat multiplier, since it worsens most of humanity’s most pressing environmental, societal and economic challenges. Anyway, growing urbanisation brings both opportunities and challenges related to the ongoing transition process, since cities are at the forefront of changes and challenges. Regeneration of urban areas is a significant priority, which needs to take into account environmental quality, social justice and sustainable development. Transforming cities and regions into vibrant, sustainable, and resilient living places has become a key global priority. In the light of the above, the article – in the context of ongoing research activities – focuses on the ecological transition in the EU panorama, highlighting the active and decisive role of cities, with reference to some significant case studies in the implementation of Green and Nature-based Solutions (NBS) through an integrated, forward-looking, and broad-based planning approach. It is structured in three main parts. The first part places the theme in the international scientific context. The second, with reference to the EU panorama, highlights the fundamental role of NBS with reference to the methodological approach, and latest and most innovative ongoing policies, strategies and practices. The third part consists of the discussion and the consequent concluding remarks.

Promoting a local and just green deal. School open spaces as a strategic opportunity for the city in the ecological transition

Maria Rita Gisotti, Benedetta Masiani — Mon, 04 Mar 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Recent global policies like the United Nations 2030 Agenda, Paris Agreements, and European Green Deal emphasise the urgency of sustainable lifestyles, production, and mobility. However, there are associated risks, including the exacerbation of socioeconomic inequalities and an overemphasis on large infrastructure projects. The ongoing debate recognizes the need for a place-based approach, with cities at the core of the European transition and active citizen engagement. European institutions address these challenges through initiatives like the "Green Deal Going Local" by the Committee of the Regions, the European Commission's "Local Green Deals," and the "New European Bauhaus" for cultural and social transition. This paper argues that schools, especially open spaces, can play a key role in implementing a local, sustainable and equitable green deal. They can facilitate participatory processes, promote a sense of citizenship and function as laboratories for green urban regeneration. To verify this hypothesis, the paper examines European policies and best practices in the regeneration of school open spaces in Europe from 2019 to the present. These practices are assessed on the basis of key strategic issues and governance principles for a local and fair transition. Finally, research results are discussed together with potential pathways for the implementation of actions related to the local Green Deal.

Strategies for adapting the dense Italian cities to the climate change

Roberta Ingaramo, Maicol Negrello — Mon, 04 Mar 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The urban fabric of European cities is subject to significant pressures from human activity and climate change. The devastating effects of climate change on urban environments threaten the quality of life of citizens and ecosystems. In particular, historic and dense cities face challenges in adapting their established urban fabric devoid of green areas. The lack of green spaces for social gatherings becomes a critical issue in addressing the climate and environmental crisis. This essay identifies the 19th-century neighbourhood of San Salvario in Turin, Italy, as a case study to develop a morphological analysis aimed at proposing nature-based strategies to improve the adaptation potential and resilience of this urban fabric. The analysis also compares European best practices, such as the cities of Barcelona and Copenhagen, which serve as examples of adaptive planning. The design elements identified in these two case studies provide inspiration for hypothesising replicable architectural solutions in dense urban contexts such as the study area under consideration. Finally, the paper addresses the limitations arising from the lack of holistic strategic planning, which in the case of Turin is based on fragmented interventions disconnected from the existing ecological network rather than on a long-term plan. The paper also reflects on the need to include additional assessments of ecosystem services, taking into account their economic valuation.

Toward a certification protocol for Positive Energy Districts (PED). A methodological proposal

Marco Volpatti, Elena Mazzola, Marta Carla Bottero, Adriano Bisello — Mon, 04 Mar 2024 00:00:00 +0000

In order to achieve the ambitious CO2 emission reduction targets, set by the Sustainable Development Goals, it is crucial to act on cities. Indeed, cities are responsible for 67% of the world's primary energy consumption and about 70% of energy-related CO2 emissions. To support the urban energy transition, a broad implementation of zero-emission districts or, even better, positive energy districts (PEDs) is expected. PEDs can be defined as energy-efficient and energy-flexible urban areas that aim to provide a surplus of clean energy to the city by using renewable energies. However, in developing the PEDs concept, it is necessary to consider not only the technical issue of energy systems but also the environmental, social, and economic spheres. To be effective, it is important to provide decision-makers with tools such as protocol certification for PEDs, which can effectively assess the complexity of the impacts a PEDs might have on other urban transformations from a multi-stakeholder perspective. LEED for neighborhood development, BREEAM communities, and CASBEE for cities are the most widely used and known protocols in the world for the evaluation of districts. Protocol certifications today do not consider PEDs because they are outdated, but some common characteristics can already be found within them, which allows for the possibility of reformulating scores and inserting new evaluation criteria. The aim of this research, through a review of the literature, is to analyze the current protocol certificates at the district level, identifying criteria and scores within the evaluation methods, with the aim of contributing to the definition of a PED certification protocol with effective criteria and scores to support design and development of PEDs.

From the lagoon-city to the lagoon of adaptive cities

Filippo Magni, Giulia Lucertini, Katia Federico — Mon, 04 Mar 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The impacts of climate change and the increasing occurrence of consequent extreme events in recent years have led to significant environmental, social and economic consequences in a fragile and highly vulnerable territory such as Venice. It is precisely in this perspective, which considers areas particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate, that the scientific research program Venezia2021, coordinated by CORILA - Consortium for coordination of research activities concerning the Venice lagoon system, is inserted. The research in question involves a complex process of identification and integration of innovative tools, data processing and analysis and assessment of impacts, in order to contribute to the maintenance of a proper balance of the lagoon ecosystem in a perspective of increased climate resilience.

The overall objective of the research was to build a strategic, accurate and shared vision with respect to the challenges that await the preservation of the city and its lagoon, (a World Heritage Site), in consideration of climate change scenarios. Specifically, this paper analyzes the research experience of thematic axis No. 5 that led to the drafting of the Climate Change Adaptation Plan for the Venice Lagoon. The operational path that led to the construction of the plan was guided by an in-depth spatial study and development of an integrated system of analysis, assessment, planning, management and monitoring of the Venetian area capable of supporting the city and the activities that operate in it, through coordinated adaptation actions aimed at increasing sustainability and resilience as a whole.

Analysis of territorial fragilities through GIScience

Giorgio Caprari, Simone Malavolta — Mon, 04 Mar 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The paper presents the results of an applied research on the Adriatic linear city (Marche, Abruzzo) for the construction of an urban-territorial cognitive framework renewed by GIScience methods/techniques (data processing, remote sensing and scientific indexes). In particular, the contribution presents the method steps for the production of a Risk Map and a geodatabase developed in a GIS (Geographic Information Systems) environment starting from open data to support the analytical phase of the A_GreeNet Life+ project and its aims. In this sense, the intermediate/final outputs of the research lay the foundations for new ways and different perspectives to investigate the urban landscape with a focus on the quality/quantity of green infrastructure, thermal stress and social dynamics. In conclusion, the paper is part of the process of renewing the cognitive processes of urban planning, with special regard to the study of territorial fragilities and urban transformations capable of photographing different territorial geographies and evaluating their resilience to the dynamics of climate change. On this basis, the project will imagine new forestation scenarios and the qualification of the landscape-vegetation system and open spaces for healthier and more liveable cities, in accordance with the planning framework in place.

Contributions of native plants to the urban ecosystem: Bursa (Turkey) sample

Elvan Ender Altay, Murat Zencirkıran — Mon, 04 Mar 2024 00:00:00 +0000

For the coming years, it is a potential danger that the ecosystems existing in urban areas will be heavily affected, especially under the pressure of climate change. In the face of this danger, a good understanding of the natural landscape in urban areas and the adoption of local species are of great importance for sustainability. Native plants contribute to the life of their communities by easily adapting to the environmental conditions in their areas. In this study, the contributions of 72 native woody taxa to the ecosystem were investigated in Bursa (Turkey), which has a rich flora. The relationships that emerged in terms of the criteria examined revealed important results. The existence of a positive relationship between the criteria found in the study shows that the use of native plants is important for the protection of the ecosystem in urban areas. The main purpose is to examine the ecological needs of native plants and their contribution to the urban ecology to determine whether the existing correlation relationships are meaningful. It is aimed to associate natural areas in cities with the ecological needs of plants.