Between Community Spaces. Squares of Minor Centers of Calabria

The theme of open “community spaces” in recent years has to the development of important interdisciplinary issues. Nevertheless, the reading of smaller towns, in urbanistic, historical-anthropological and geographical terms appears less extended, considering the declination of public spaces as "squares." Starting from this declension we would like to introduce the first results of a research. The research had the aim of (re)interpreting the particular characteristics of these areas in specific areas such as small towns, using the region of Calabria for the case of analytic application. These communities have diverse and stratified living cultures, altered by settlement processes that have triggered two different types of urban contexts. The former often lead either to urban areas in depopulated decay or, in contrast, in places of memories: empty containers of relationships, sterile and crystallized museum objects, reduced to scenarios on which passing groups of visitors move necessarily from those realities. The latter often encircle primitive nuclei, asphyxiating them, or characterizing the so-called "dual" or "satellites" towns, completely detached from the original urban center in which all public functions are decentralized. The applied methodology is based on the reading of the historical-functional evolution of squares by the identification of codified compositional criteria. Through this research we seek to verify how urban planning, in synergy with other disciplines, can define processes of regeneration aimed at restoring the meaning of "center", and thus of an urban-community reference center

The emergency plan for the use and management of the territory

The issue of emergency planning in areas exposed to natural hazards cannot yet be considered as a focus within the scientific literature, probably because it has been judged as “too operative” for the interest of academic research. The topic of land use planning, spatial planning, and urban planning in risky areas, conversely, has gained attention in recent years. Nevertheless, the examples of good practices that involve ordinary master plans embedding mitigation concerns are still limited. &nbsp

The COVID-19 Assessment for Survival at Admission (CASA) Index: A 12 Months Observational Study

Objective: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a disease with a high rate of progression to critical illness. However, the stratification of patients at risk of mortality is not well defined. In this study, we aimed to define a mortality risk index to allocate patients to the appropriate intensity of care. Methods: This is a 12 months observational longitudinal study designed to develop and validate a pragmatic mortality risk score to stratify COVID-19 patients aged ≥18 years and admitted to hospital between March 2020 and March 2021. Main outcome was in-hospital mortality. Results: 244 patients were included in the study (mortality rate 29.9%). The Covid-19 Assessment for Survival at Admission (CASA) index included seven variables readily available at admission: respiratory rate, troponin, albumin, CKD-EPI, white blood cell count, D-dimer, Pa02/Fi02. The CASA index showed high discrimination for mortality with an AUC of 0.91 (sensitivity 98.6%; specificity 69%) and a better performance compared to SOFA (AUC = 0.76), age (AUC = 0.76) and 4C mortality (AUC = 0.82). The cut-off identified (11.994) for CASA index showed a negative predictive value of 99.16% and a positive predictive value of 57.58%. Conclusions: A quick and readily available index has been identified to help clinicians stratify COVID-19 patients according to the appropriate intensity of care and minimize hospital admission to patients at high risk of mortality

A patient-driven registry on Behçet’s disease: the AIDA for patients pilot project

IntroductionThis paper describes the creation and preliminary results of a patient-driven registry for the collection of patient-reported outcomes (PROs) and patient-reported experiences (PREs) in Behçet’s disease (BD).MethodsThe project was coordinated by the University of Siena and the Italian patient advocacy organization SIMBA (Associazione Italiana Sindrome e Malattia di Behçet), in the context of the AIDA (AutoInflammatory Diseases Alliance) Network programme. Quality of life, fatigue, socioeconomic impact of the disease and therapeutic adherence were selected as core domains to include in the registry.ResultsRespondents were reached via SIMBA communication channels in 167 cases (83.5%) and the AIDA Network affiliated clinical centers in 33 cases (16.5%). The median value of the Behçet’s Disease Quality of Life (BDQoL) score was 14 (IQR 11, range 0–30), indicating a medium quality of life, and the median Global Fatigue Index (GFI) was 38.7 (IQR 10.9, range 1–50), expressing a significant level of fatigue. The mean Beliefs about Medicines Questionnaire (BMQ) necessity-concern differential was 0.9 ± 1.1 (range – 1.8–4), showing that the registry participants prioritized necessity belief over concerns to a limited extent. As for the socioeconomic impact of BD, in 104 out of 187 cases (55.6%), patients had to pay from their own pocket for medical exams required to reach the diagnosis. The low family socioeconomic status (p < 0.001), the presence of any major organ involvement (p < 0.031), the presence of gastro-intestinal (p < 0.001), neurological (p = 0.012) and musculoskeletal (p = 0.022) symptoms, recurrent fever (p = 0.002), and headache (p < 0.001) were associated to a higher number of accesses to the healthcare system. Multiple linear regression showed that the BDQoL score could significantly predict the global socioeconomic impact of BD (F = 14.519, OR 1.162 [CI 0.557–1.766], p < 0.001).DiscussionPreliminary results from the AIDA for Patients BD registry were consistent with data available in the literature, confirming that PROs and PREs could be easily provided by the patient remotely to integrate physician-driven registries with complementary and reliable information

Fruizioni immateriali per la promozione territoriale

Al fine di consentire ad un contesto territoriale di diventare competitivo è necessario che lo stesso promuova altresì la propria immagine con una presenza intelligente sul web (fruizione immateriale); l’obiettivo principale è quello di favorire la virtualizzazione del patrimonio territoriale restituendolo in rete come “bene comune” per i cittadini e per i visitatori, permettendo alle amministrazioni di internazionalizzare la conoscenza dello stesso bene e dell’intero territorio, nonché migliorando lo stato dell’arte sia in termini di ricaduta scientifica che di prodotto territoriale. Tale obiettivo di ricerca necessita l’adozione di tecniche avanzate, modelli condivisi di indicizzazione e identificazione univoca, utili a produrre anche percorsi e “mappature” tematiche in grado di rendere facilmente fruibile e di promuovere un’offerta territoriale coordinata ed intelligente, a garanzia di un facile accesso alla rete dei servizi in linea con le esigenze dei residenti e dei turisti, permettendo, contestualmente, agli stessi di interagire e di integrare direttamente le informazioni. Particolare riguardo, inoltre, deve essere riservato ai rapporti intercorrenti tra città-campagna e tra aree interne-costa, anche al fine di ottimizzare delle connessioni tra il miglioramento dei bilanci energetici e ambientali dei territori e la gestione delle risorse naturalistiche e socio-culturali, secondo principi di equità e sostenibilità

Urban Land Uses and Smart Mobility

The object of this work consists of the will to define a renewed relationship between spatial planning and transport systems, which focuses attention on road safety, whereas to date the studies on this relationship have mainly examined the transport impacts on land use. Therefore, in addition to the analysis of the physical characteristics of road infrastructure, there is a need to examine which urban land uses can generate points of risk, both in terms of attraction of vehicles and pedestrian flows as well as in terms of concentration of vulnerable road users, in order to organize a complete information and telecommunication system for road safety. In short, considering a specific testing ground, some urban land uses have been located, with relative dimensional analysis and characterization of access conditions in typological-functional terms: services (schools, healthcare structures, sports facilities); tertiary/production industry (wholesale, shopping centres, industrial sites); tourism sector (hotels, resorts, historical and cultural heritage). The collection of information, corresponding to mapping of prospective risk factors, represented the basis for the entry of specific data within a wider reference database

The Structural Plan’s sustainability in coastal areas. A case study in the Tyrrhenian coast of Calabria

Sustainable planning in coastal areas must integrate environmental protection actions and development actions addressing settlement policies and the location of functional and tourist infrastructure and services that are particularly relevant from a socio-economic point of view. In Italy, coastal planning is fragmented between state, regional and municipal competences. All Italian municipalities have the task of drafting the plan that outlines the strategic scenarios and the structural choices for the governance of the territory under their jurisdiction. We therefore wonder how this general plan can incorporate the specificities of coastal territories starting from the elaboration of the knowledge framework to define a sustainable plan project. To answer this question, we focus on the Calabrian regional territory, which hosts 10% of the national coastal heritage. The paper presents and discusses the procedural and content aspects related to the elaboration of the Preliminary Document of the Structural Plan of a municipality located on the coast of the Tyrrhenian Sea to draw general conclusions from the local experience useful for planners

Environmental quality of emergency areas. A methodology to assess shelter areas liveability

The types of risk that territories are facing today have greatly increased in recent years, having multiplied the damage that human activity has produced and continues to produce on the natural environment. With the aim to create a really resilient territory it is necessary to carry out an environmental quality assessment together with risk analysis, in order to build effective responses to the possible problems resulting from the changes in progress. This assessment should be integrated into the knowledge framework of existing planning tools, in particular as regards the Emergency Plan. Among the Plan contents, indeed, the identification of the areas for the accommodation of population affected by disaster is included. Nevertheless, currently localization criteria are mainly used, without considering the potential liveability of these areas. This document presents the first results of a research aimed at identifying and assessing the factors useful to ensure an adequate environmental quality of the shelter areas, defined following the comparative study of evaluation systems used in different countries. Research aims to provide opportunity for broader reflection on the relationship that needs to be established between these evaluation systems and planning tools, in respect of which there is at present almost total independence

A GIS-based automated procedure to assess disused areas

Regeneration of disused sites represents a significant opportunity. The scientific interest in their redevelopment possibilities has grown considerably in recent years. Despite this, a shared definition of disused sites which goes beyond that of brownfields and allows recognition the size of the problem on a transnational scale is still lacking. This study provides an overview of the main definitions provided by scientific literature and on this basis, it proposes a parametric definition of functionally disused areas. Subsequently, a GIS-based operational tool able to map functionally disused areas through a progressive screening of the local territory is introduced. The proposed methodology is tested on two Italian municipalities. It is the first step of a research aimed at defining a wider process able to assess the possibility of converting disused areas into multifunctional or monofunctional “smart” districts. They could be, indeed, characterized by a mixed use – contributing to soil consumption reduction – or by a single use – “social infrastructures” – linked to the needs that emerged as result of Covid 19 pandemic. This assessment process, hence, could support urban planning both at ordinary and emergency phase, allowing to identify in very short time areas where temporary facilities could be installed

Abusivismo e condoni: I numeri di un fenomeno abnorme nell'area metropolitana di Napoli

Uno degli impegni prioritari che attende gli amministratori locali napoletani, oltre alla scadenza immediata della costituzione della Città Metropolitana, prevista dalla Legge n.56 del 7 Aprile 2014 che introduce una riforma radicale in materia di enti locali, sarà quello di scrivere la parola fine al triste capitolo dell’abusivismo edilizio, anche alla luce delle nuove norme introdotte dalla legge regionale n. 16 del 7 agosto 2014 in materia di urbanistica, finalizzate in particolare alla definizione delle oltre 300.000 istanze di sanatoria edilizia presentate nei comuni di Napoli e provincia, in seguito ai tre condoni edilizi emanati degli ultimi trent’anni, la gran parte delle quali giace ancora negli uffici tecnici comunali