Higher immigration and lower land take rates are driving a new densification wave in European cities

Spatio-temporal density trends are considered key indicators of urban development. However, similar density trends may hide different drivers. This study investigates the density trends of 331 European cities between 2006 and 2018 and the underlying trends in residential area and population, broken down into natural change and net migration. The analysis captured a shift in the predominant trend from de-densification (2006–2012) to densification (2012–2018). Two main drivers determined the shift: (i) a more diffused growth of urban population, and (ii) a slowdown of land take for residential use after the global financial crisis of 2008. A clear acceleration in net migration rates, with immigration pushing population growth, occurred in most cities turning from de-densification to densification. Despite path dependencies and enduring differences across regions and city sizes, the distribution of these trends partly redesigned the traditional European East-West dichotomy into a novel center-periphery division.Peer Reviewe

An overview of policy instruments for sustainable peri-urban landscapes: Towards governance mixes

Peri-Urban Landscapes (PULs) are transitional areas composed of a mix of natural and anthropogenic land covers. The unsustainable character of many PULs is widely recognised, but their governance is particularly challenging. The paper moves from the hypothesis that addressing some of the sustainability challenges of PULs requires the combination of multiple Policy Instruments (PIs), i.e., a policy mix. An online survey was developed to collect cases of PULs governance with a twofold purpose: i) to identify and describe existing PIs implemented in PULs, and ii) to investigate which combinations of PIs are adopted to address specific categories of sustainability challenges. Fifty valid answers describing 47 cases of PULs governance from 26 countries were collected and analysed. The results confirm the presence of a policy mix approach, suggesting the need for a plurality of PIs to govern the dynamics and complexities of PULs. Moreover, the results indicate an important role of the regional governance level, a dominating presence of top-down instruments, and a need for more effective inclusion of citizens into policy-making processes related to PULs. A reflection on the findings considering the existing literature on governance experimentation suggests governance mixes for PULs as potential approaches to address some of the shortcomings of the analysed policy mixes

Mapping and assessing ecosystem services to support urban planning: A case study on brownfield regeneration in Trento, Italy

This study explores the use of ecosystem service (ES) knowledge to support urban planning in the assessment of future scenarios. The case study concerns the prioritszation of brownfield regeneration interventions in the city of Trento (Italy). Alternative planning scenarios considering the conversion of existing brownfields into new urban parks are assessed and compared. The assessment focuses on two ES of critical importance for the city, namely microclimate regulation and nature-based recreation. The benefits of the different scenarios are quantified based on the number of expected beneficiaries broken down into different vulnerability classes and then compared through a multi-criteria analysis. Three combinations of criteria and weights reflect different planning objectives and related decision-makers’ orientations about what ES and beneficiary groups should be prioritised. The application demonstrates the potential for ES assessments to support urban planning processes in the specific phase of assessment and selection of alternatives, by meeting the requirements in terms of both sensitivity to small-scale changes in land uses or management activities and capacity to capture simultaneous variations in supply and demand of multiple ES. Being coherent with socially-orientated planning objectives, indicators based on ES demand and beneficiaries can effectively convey information about ES in planning decisions. Multi-criteria analysis is an effective way to integrate multiple ES assessments with other information about costs and benefits of planning scenarios, exploring diverse stakeholder perspectives and balancing competing objectives in a rational and transparent way

Planning for Ecosystem Services in Cities

This open access book presents current knowledge about ecosystem services (ES) in urban planning, and discusses various urban ES topics such as spatial distribution of urban ecosystems, population distribution, and physical infrastructure properties. The book addresses all these issues by: i) investigating to what extent ecosystem services are currently included in urban plans, and discussing what is still needed to improve planning practice; ii) illustrating how to develop ecosystem services indicators and information that can be used by urban planners to enhance plan design; iii) demonstrating the application of ES assessments to support urban planning processes through case studies; and iv) reflecting on criteria for addressing equity in urban planning through ecosystem service assessments, by exploring issues associated with the supply of, the access to and demand for ES by citizens. Through fully worked out case studies, from policy questions, to baseline analysis and indicators, and from option comparison to proposed solutions, the book offers readers detailed and accessible coverage of outstanding issues and proposed solutions to better integrate ES in city planning. The overall purpose of the book is to provide a compact reference that can be used by researchers as a key resource offering an updated perspective and overview on the field, as well as by practitioners and planners/decision makers as a source of inspiration for their activity. Additionally, the book will be a suitable resource for both undergraduate and post-graduate courses in planning and geography

Identifying representative case studies for ecosystem services mapping and assessment across Europe

A key task in the ESMERALDA project dealt with identifying appropriate case studies to test the 'flexible methodology' in its different stages of development. Case studies consist of working examples in which mapping and assessment of ecosystem services were applied to address specific decision-making problems. Testing is understood as an iterative process of co-learning that involves project partners and stakeholders, enabling the refinement of the 'flexible methodology' and the development of guidelines to support its application. Testing is conducted through a series of workshops in different European contexts, each addressing a different set of themes and regions. This paper illustrates the selection of case studies for testing the ESMERALDA 'flexible methodology' in its different stages of development. Particularly, case studies had to be selected in such a way that they are representative of: (i) the variety of existing conditions across the EU, in terms of data availability, spatial scale, levels of implementation of EU 2020 targets and expertise and experience in ES mapping and assessment; (ii) the geographical regions and biomes of the entire EU, including marine areas and the outermost regions; (iii) the variety of cross-EU themes relevant for ecosystem services, such as the Common Agricultural Policy, Green Infrastructure, Natura 2000 network, forestry strategy, water policy, energy, business and industry sectors and health; (iv) the variety of policy and planning processes that can be used to mainstream ecosystem services in real-life decisions, such as spatial and land use planning, water resource management, flooding under the EU climate adaptation action, energy policy, strategic environmental assessment, protected area planning

Bird richness and Ecosystems Services across an urban to natural gradient in south-eastern Brazil: implications for landscape planning and future scenarios

In natural and altered environments, the Ecosystem Services (ES) provided by the presence of vegetation, especially regulating ES such as climate regulation and air pollutant removal, are essential to improve human health and well-being. In this study, we focused on a tropical-subtropical river basin which covers urban, peri-urban and rural landscape types of a Brazilian municipality located in the ecotone between the Atlantic Forest and the Cerrado (Brazilian savannah). The research aimed to assess the current state of ES and bird richness (as a biodiversity indicator) and their relationships across an urban-rural-natural gradient. We assessed the cooling effect (as microclimate regulation indicator), air pollutant removal (PM10), nature-based recreation opportunities and bird richness and analysed the variations associated with a shift in the prevailing land- cover types along a gradient of urbaniszation. The results indicated a higher bird richness in peri-urban and rural landscapes, as well as greater pollutant removal and cooling effect provided by vegetation. However, recreation opportunities provided mainly by human infrastructure were higher inside the urban zone and in some peri-urban areas. The landscape type significantly influenced the availability and intensity of these four variables (p < 0.001). Bird richness, air pollutant removal, and cooling effect were positively correlated (r > 0.539; p ≤ 0.048);, however, a trade-off between them and recreation opportunities (r = -0.59, R2 = 0.348, p < 0.001) was found. We simulated possible scenarios of reforestation actions in urban areas to predict the ES values when vegetation cover area is increased. According to the results, the urban planning and efforts to improve nNature-based solutions in the studied river basin should consider the observed trade-off to promote sustainable nature-based recreation opportunities in places with higher values of ES (cooling effect, air pollutant removal, and bird richness) and/or to increase the ES values in urban landscape through environmental policies, such as reforestation

What are the traits of a social-ecological system: towards a framework in support of urban sustainability

To ensure that cities and urban ecosystems support human wellbeing and overall quality of life we need conceptual frameworks that can connect different scientific disciplines as well as research and practice. In this perspective, we explore the potential of a traits framework for understanding social-ecological patterns, dynamics, interactions, and tipping points in complex urban systems. To do so, we discuss what kind of framing, and what research, that would allow traits to (1) link the sensitivity of a given environmental entity to different globally relevant pressures, such as land conversion or climate change to its social-ecological consequences; (2) connect to human appraisal and diverse bio-cultural sense-making through the different cues and characteristics people use to detect change or articulate value narratives, and (3) examine how and under what conditions this new approach may trigger, inform, and support decision making in land/resources management at different scales.Peer Reviewe

Ecosystem services mapping and assessment for policy- and decision-making: Lessons learned from a comparative analysis of European case studies

This paper analyses and compares a set of case studies on ecosystem services (ES) mapping and assessment with the purpose of formulating lessons learned and recommendations. Fourteen case studies were selected during the EU Horizon 2020 “Coordination and Support Action” ESMERALDA to represent different policy- and decision-making processes throughout the European Union, across a wide range of themes, biomes and scales. The analysis is based on a framework that addresses the key steps of an ES mapping and assessment process, namely policy questions, stakeholder identification and involvement, application of mapping and assessment methods, dissemination and communication and implementation. The analysis revealed that most case studies were policy-orientated or gave explicit suggestions for policy implementation in different contexts, including urban, rural and natural areas. Amongst the findings, the importance of starting stakeholder engagement early in the process was confirmed in order to generate interest and confidence in the project and to increase their willingness to cooperate. Concerning mapping and assessment methods, it was found that the integration of methods and results is essential for providing a comprehensive overview from different perspectives (e.g. social, economic). Finally, lessons learned for effective implementation of ES mapping and assessment results are presented and discussed

Sotorasib in KRASp.G12C mutated advanced NSCLC: Real-world data from the Italian expanded access program

Background: Sotorasib showed a significant improvement of progression free survival (PFS), safety and quality of life over docetaxel in patients with KRASp.G12C-mutated advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) within the CodeBreak-200 study. Here we report real-world efficacy and tolerability data from NSCLC patients who received sotorasib within the Italian expanded access program (EAP). Methods: Sotorasib (960 mg, orally, once daily) was available on physician request for KRASp.G12C mutant advanced NSCLC patients. Clinical-pathological and molecular data were collected from the Italian ATLAS real-world registry. Patients underwent CT-scan and responses were evaluated by RECIST criteria. Efficacy and tolerability outcomes have been assessed. Results: A total of 196 advanced NSCLC patients were treated across 30 Italian centers. Median age was 69 years old (range 33-86). Most patients were male (61 %), former (49 %) or current smokers (43 %), with ECOG-PS 0/1 (84 %) and adenocarcinoma subtype (90 %). 45 % and 32 % of patients received sotorasib in 2nd and 3rd line, respectively. Overall, response rate was 26 % and the median duration of response was 5.7 months (95 % CI: 4.4-7.0). Median PFS and OS were 5.8 months (95 % CI: 5 - 6.5) and 8.2 months (95 % CI: 6.3 - 9.9). Grade 3-4 TRAEs occurred in 16.5 % of patients, with Grade >= 3 liver enzyme increase and TRAEs-related discontinuation reported in 12 % and 4.6 % of cases. Conclusion: Real-world data from the Italian EAP confirm the tolerability and effectiveness of sotorasib in patients with KRASp.G12C-mutated advanced NSCLC and highlight the value of the national ATLAS network as source of real-world evidence driving the clinical management of NSCLC patients

Safety of extended interval dosing immune checkpoint inhibitors:a multicenter cohort study

BACKGROUND: Real-life spectrum and survival implications of immune-related adverse events (irAEs) in patients treated with extended interval dosing (ED) immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are unknown. METHODS: Characteristics of 812 consecutive solid cancer patients who received at least 1 cycle of ED monotherapy (pembrolizumab 400 mg Q6W or nivolumab 480 mg Q4W) after switching from canonical interval dosing (CD; pembrolizumab 200 mg Q3W or nivolumab 240 mg Q2W) or treated upfront with ED were retrieved. The primary objective was to compare irAEs patterns within the same population (before and after switch to ED). irAEs spectrum in patients treated upfront with ED and association between irAEs and overall survival were also described. RESULTS: A total of 550 (68%) patients started ICIs with CD and switched to ED. During CD, 225 (41%) patients developed any grade and 17 (3%) G3 or G4 irAEs; after switching to ED, any grade and G3 or G4 irAEs were experienced by 155 (36%) and 20 (5%) patients. Switching to ED was associated with a lower probability of any grade irAEs (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 0.83, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.64 to 0.99; P = .047), whereas no difference for G3 or G4 events was noted (aOR = 1.55, 95% CI = 0.81 to 2.94; P = .18). Among patients who started upfront with ED (n = 232, 32%), 107 (41%) developed any grade and 14 (5%) G3 or G4 irAEs during ED. Patients with irAEs during ED had improved overall survival (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] = 0.53, 95% CI = 0.34 to 0.82; P = .004 after switching; aHR = 0.57, 95% CI = 0.35 to 0.93; P = .025 upfront). CONCLUSIONS: Switching ICI treatment from CD and ED did not increase the incidence of irAEs and represents a safe option also outside clinical trials.</p