GEOMATICS FOR SMART CITIES: OBTAINING THE URBAN PLANNING BAF INDEX FROM EXISTING DIGITAL MAPS

The urban analytics expression is spreading out. To our understanding, it deals with the capability of measuring cities and their communities, as a support to their effective planning and management. In other words, being an analytically well-known city is a precondition for pursuing smartness. Urban planning is a very important item for city management and is interrelated with many layers, including urban environmental quality, air quality and well-being. Effective urban planning is based on the knowledge of quantitative parameters such as the biotope area factor (BAF), which was originally proposed for the city of Berlin and is currently used in other cities. The BAF index is used to evaluate the degree of soil permeability and measures, to a certain extent and from a specific point of view, how a city is eco-friendly. The usual way of evaluating the BAF is based on the manual construction of dedicated maps, using existing orthophotos and oblique imagery as a support. But this method is expensive, time-consuming and non-objective, as it is prone to different interpretations. The paper presents a newly-developed methodology for calculating the BAF. It is based on the use of existing digital cartography and on the application of geoprocessing techniques from GIS science: it is therefore fully automated and objective. The Pavia city (Northern Italy) is used as a testsite and a careful validation of the developed methodology is carried out, by comparison to 12 manually surveyed test areas, corresponding to 5% of the built-up areas of the municipality

Biotope Area Factor: An Ecological Urban Index to Geovisualize Soil Sealing in Padua, Italy

Over the last few years, soil sealing has been recognized as one of the major threats in terms of soil degradation and loss of ecosystem services. Although many efforts have been promoted to increase the awareness of safeguarding soil for stakeholders, its value as a non-renewable resource as well as soil-related services in urban ecosystems is not implemented enough in urban planning and policies. Due to the spatially explicit component and the geographical scale of soil sealing, mapping and quantifying the number of sealed surfaces is crucial. The aim of this paper was to estimate and geovisualize the soil sealed in the city of Padua (Italy) at a very detailed scale, testing the use of the Biotope Area Factor (BAF) index. Moreover, the paper aimed to simulate an alternative mitigation scenario in a specific study area of the city. Spatial analysis was performed testing the BAF index in a Geographic Information Sistem (GIS) environment and using aerial ortho-photos at very high resolution. The results show different values of the BAF index for all four neighborhoods from 0.35 to 0.69. In the mitigation scenario, the value of the BAF index was improved using a measure of green roofs. In conclusion, the paper provides an insightful case study for enriching the debate about soil sealing and gives scientific support for sustainable urban planning

Approccio bioclimatico

La concettualizzazione dell’”approccio bioclimatico” alla progettazione edilizia, nell’ambito della letteratura scientifica, trova una prima e specifica formalizzazione negli anni sessanta, soprattutto conseguentemente alla spinta e all’influenza di innovativi studi condotti da V. Olgyay e B. Givoni , benché specifiche indicazioni circa l’importanza degli approcci progettuali basati sullo studio dell’interazione tra architettura e clima, risalgano all’opera di Vitruvio “De Architectura”, trattato scritto nel II sec. D.C. (libro primo: “la scelta dei luoghi salubri”, “L’orientamento della rete viaria rispetto alla direzione dei venti”; libro sesto: “L’edilizia privata in relazione a climi e latitudini”) e, nel corso del XX secolo, siano state illustrate e sottolineate da architetti quali W. Gropius , F.L. Wright (nelle “Usonian House”, dove ci si basa su un alternativo sistema di sfruttamento dell’energia solare e dei moti convettivi dell’aria per il condizionamento invernale ed estivo dell’edificio) e, in Italia, teorizzate da studiosi come G. Vinaccia e G. Rigotti . Nonostante la formalizzazione di importanti studi tesi a confermare e valorizzare l’importanza dell’approccio bioclimatico nella progettazione architettonica e urbanistica, definendone i principi e le caratteristiche peculiari, per molti anni si è continuato a progettare ed edificare in maniera poco sensibile a tali istanze e approcci: “…nessuno si azzarderebbe soltanto a pensare di costruire un edificio senza il necessario controllo statico. Eppure non si è ancora convinti della utilità di progettare tenendo conto dei parametri del benessere in generale e di quello termico in particolare...Si progetta e si costruisce ancora senza preoccuparsi ad esempio dei rumori e delle vicende climatiche alle quali l’edificio verrà assoggettato. Si ha una fiducia illimitata nello spirito di sopportazione da prova di nevrosi dell’utente medio e si confida nelle capacità risolutive dell’impianto….” (D. Del Bino, 1983). Attualmente, la presa di coscienza delle conseguenze, di ordine ambientale (cambiamenti climatici, esaurimento delle risorse energetiche non rinnovabili, ecc.) alle quali ha progressivamente condotto questo atteggiamento culturale, ha portato alla definizione di normative di livello comunitario (recepite diffusamente dai vari Paesi) che pongono importanti vincoli alla progettazione delle nuove realizzazioni edilizie e degli interventi di ristrutturazione di rigenerazione urbana e dell’edificato preesistente. L’”approccio bioclimatico”, è stato quindi rivalutato e ricaricato di nuove e importanti valenze in funzione degli obiettivi di contrasto ai cambiamenti climatici in corso, al centro dei quali, la tematica energetica riferita al contesto costruito, riveste un ruolo fondamentale e sostanziale, soprattutto in relazione al fatto che “L’energia impiegata nel settore residenziale e terziario, composto per la maggior parte di edifici, rappresenta oltre il 40% del consumo finale di energia della Comunità. Essendo questo un settore in espansione, i suoi consumi di energia e quindi le sue emissioni di biossido di carbonio sono destinati ad aumentare” (premessa alla Direttiva 2002/91 CE del Parlamento Europeo sul rendimento energetico nell’edilizia ).The conceptualization of the "bioclimatic approach" to building design, in the context of scientific literature, finds a first and specific formalization in the sixties, especially as a result of the thrust and influence of innovative studies conducted by V. Olgyay and B. Givoni, although specific indications about the importance of design approaches based on the study of the interaction between architecture and climate, go back to the work of Vitruvius "De Architectura", a treatise written in the second century. A.D. (first book: "the choice of healthy places", "The orientation of the road network with respect to the direction of the winds"; sixth book: "Private building in relation to climates and latitudes") and, during the twentieth century, have been illustrated and underlined by architects such as W. Gropius, FL Wright (in the "Usonian House", where it is based on an alternative system of exploitation of solar energy and convective air motions for the winter and summer conditioning of the building) and, in Italy, theorized by scholars such as G. Vinaccia and G. Rigotti. Despite the formalization of important studies aimed at confirming and enhancing the importance of the bioclimatic approach in architectural and urban planning, defining its principles and peculiar characteristics, for many years we have continued to design and build in a way that is not very sensitive to these requests and approaches: “… no one would just dare to think of building a building without the necessary static control. Yet we are not yet convinced of the usefulness of designing taking into account the parameters of well-being in general and of thermal well-being in particular ... We still design and build without worrying, for example, about the noises and climatic events to which the building will be subjected . You have unlimited confidence in the spirit of neurosis-proof endurance of the average user and trust in the resolving capabilities of the system .... " (D. Del Bino, 1983). Currently, the awareness of the environmental consequences (climate change, depletion of non-renewable energy resources, etc.) to which this cultural attitude has progressively led, has led to the definition of community-level regulations (widely implemented by the various countries ) which place important constraints on the design of new buildings and urban regeneration and pre-existing building renovation interventions. The "bioclimatic approach" has therefore been re-evaluated and reloaded with new and important values ​​in relation to the objectives of contrasting climate change in progress, at the center of which, the energy issue referred to the built context, plays a fundamental and substantial role, above all in relation to the fact that “The energy used in the residential and tertiary sector, composed for the most part of buildings, represents over 40% of the final energy consumption of the Community. As this is an expanding sector, its energy consumption and therefore its carbon dioxide emissions are destined to increase "(introduction to Directive 2002/91 EC of the European Parliament on energy performance in buildings)

Evaluating the Impact of Nature-Based Solutions: Appendix of Methods

The Handbook aims to provide decision-makers with a comprehensive NBS impact assessment framework, and a robust set of indicators and methodologies to assess impacts of nature-based solutions across 12 societal challenge areas: Climate Resilience; Water Management; Natural and Climate Hazards; Green Space Management; Biodiversity; Air Quality; Place Regeneration; Knowledge and Social Capacity Building for Sustainable Urban Transformation; Participatory Planning and Governance; Social Justice and Social Cohesion; Health and Well-being; New Economic Opportunities and Green Jobs. Indicators have been developed collaboratively by representatives of 17 individual EU-funded NBS projects and collaborating institutions such as the EEA and JRC, as part of the European Taskforce for NBS Impact Assessment, with the four-fold objective of: serving as a reference for relevant EU policies and activities; orient urban practitioners in developing robust impact evaluation frameworks for nature-based solutions at different scales; expand upon the pioneering work of the EKLIPSE framework by providing a comprehensive set of indicators and methodologies; and build the European evidence base regarding NBS impacts. They reflect the state of the art in current scientific research on impacts of nature-based solutions and valid and standardized methods of assessment, as well as the state of play in urban implementation of evaluation frameworks

The role of community-led innovation in the adaptive capacity of ecosystem services in an urban social-ecological system

Urban areas are hubs of creativity and innovation providing fertile ground for novel responses to modern environmental challenges. One such response is the community-led management of urban green spaces as a form of organised social-ecological innovation (OSEI). Previous studies have attempted to conceptualise the ecological, social and political potential of such informal approaches to urban green space management. However, little work has been carried out into their efficacy in the landscape, either by describing the social-ecological conditions influencing their occurrence or by quantifying the actual benefits in terms of ecosystem service provision.This research explores the emergence and impact of OSEI in a continuous urban landscape comprising the metropolitan areas of Manchester, Salford and Trafford (UK). The social-ecological context and content of OSEI were investigated using a cross-scale approach. At the landscape scale a snowball-sampling method mapped the occurrence of OSEIs using GIS and remote sensing technology. At the micro-scale, a case study quantified relative levels of provision across four key ecosystem services.The analysis presented OSEI as an adaptive response to environmental stressors, clustered around “hubs” of social-ecological innovation in the urban landscape. The distribution of OSEIs was influenced by historical context, degree of urbanisation and dependent on levels of, and dynamics between, social and ecological deprivation. Urban agriculture was instrumental as a catalyst for the emergence of OSEI and the associated production of a range of ecosystem services. Site productivity was also influenced by spatial and design considerations. This thesis has detailed the character of OSEI as a coherent phenomenon in the urban landscape which exhibits valuable response diversity according to social-ecological conditions. This, together with an evaluation of factors influencing ecosystem service provision at the local scale, has informed the validity of OSEI as an element of adaptive capacity which contributes to resilience in urban social-ecological systems

Planning, Nature and Ecosystem Services

This book collects the papers presented at INPUT aCAdemy 2019, a special edition of the INPUT Conference hosted by the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, and Architecture (DICAAR) of the University of Cagliari. INPUT aCAdemy Conference will focus on contemporary planning issues with particular attention to ecosystem services, green and blue infrastructure and governance and management of Natura 2000 sites and coastal marine areas. INPUT aCAdemy 2019 is organized within the GIREPAM Project (Integrated Management of Ecological Networks through Parks and Marine Areas), co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) in relation to the 2014-2020 Interreg Italy – France (Maritime) Programme. INPUT aCAdemy 2019 is supported by Società Italiana degli Urbanisti (SIU, the Italian Society of Spatial Planners), Istituto Nazionale di Urbanistica (INU, the Italian National Institute of Urban Planning), UrbIng Ricerca Scientifica (the Association of Spatial Planning Scholars of the Italian Schools of Engineering) and Ordine degli Ingegneri di Cagliari (OIC, Professional Association of Engineers of Cagliari).illustratorThis book collects the papers presented at INPUT aCAdemy 2019, a special edition of the INPUT Conference hosted by the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, and Architecture (DICAAR) of the University of Cagliari. INPUT aCAdemy Conference will focus on contemporary planning issues with particular attention to ecosystem services, green and blue infrastructure and governance and management of Natura 2000 sites and coastal marine areas. INPUT aCAdemy 2019 is organized within the GIREPAM Project (Integrated Management of Ecological Networks through Parks and Marine Areas), co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) in relation to the 2014-2020 Interreg Italy – France (Maritime) Programme. INPUT aCAdemy 2019 is supported by Società Italiana degli Urbanisti (SIU, the Italian Society of Spatial Planners), Istituto Nazionale di Urbanistica (INU, the Italian National Institute of Urban Planning), UrbIng Ricerca Scientifica (the Association of Spatial Planning Scholars of the Italian Schools of Engineering) and Ordine degli Ingegneri di Cagliari (OIC, Professional Association of Engineers of Cagliari)