1,721,015 research outputs found
The THEMA tool to support heritage-based development strategies for marginal areas: Evidence from an Italian inner area in Campania Region
Full text linkThe ongoing forced reflection on the leading urbanization models’ crisis has led to greater attention to marginal areas. In Italy, the scientific and media debate has focused on inner areas that, since 2014, have represented the target of an innovative national cohesion policy aimed at tackling their shrinking dynamics: the National Strategy for Inner Areas (SNAI). Indeed, Italian inner areas are endowed with extraordinary natural capital and settlement models far from urban density. Thus, they seem to respond perfectly to the new raised living needs. However, leaving aside the optimistic rhetoric, strong political and administrative choices are necessary to trigger a ‘return process’ based on this broader attention toward inner areas, thus countering humankind’s natural tendency to concentrate on urban realities. In this light, the paper proposes a tool to support SNAI in designing and implementing heritage-based local development strategies to address inner areas’ real needs. After a critical reading of the new challenges for planning posed by the pandemic and SNAI’s role within them, the contribution moves to frame the THEMA (Tool for Heritage-based Enhancement of Marginal Areas) tool, focusing on specificities of the inner areas as cultural heritage. Finally, the tool’s application to a case study, an inner area in Campania Region, allows to outline and discuss its possible benefits for SNAI implementation and its limits
Spatial cost benefit analysis in flood risk management: Evidence from a case study in Italy
Full text linkThe number of natural catastrophes is increasing worldwide: among these, flood is one of the worst hazards causing thousands of losses of life and damages to property. Flood risk mitigation was traditionally carried out by reducing the hazard through the construction of structural hydraulic defenses. Nowadays, the approach to flood risk mitigation is conceived as combination of structural and non-structural defenses, as recommended in UN/ISDR, (2005) and in the EU Flood Directive (60/2007): in the specific, the EU directive requires the ex-ante evaluation of costs and benefits from mitigation measures in risk management plans. In this light, the paper proposes the application of a Cost-Benefit Analysis (CBA) to a case study of the city of Olbia in Sardinia Region, example of Historic Urban Landscape (HUL) in Italy, in order to support the public administration in the choice of the most sustainable plan, reducing social and environmental risk and, at the same time, ensuring its feasibility from a financial and economic perspective
Circular economy as ‘catalyst’ for resilience in inner areas
Full text linkRight from their definition, Italian inner areas seem to show their dual nature of ‘fragile areas’ and ‘reservoirs of resilience’. Thus, effective development strategies against abandonment for these areas need to move towards both dealing with their multi-dimensional fragility and triggering their “resilience resources”. The application of ‘Circular Economy’ principles can be crucial in achieving these aims. Indeed, it is possible to point out many convergences between the Italian Strategy for Inner Areas and Circular Economy theory. In this light, after an insight into the issues of inner areas and Circular Economy and the identification of their meeting points, the paper aims to define a conceptual model for a methodology to trigger inner areas resilience in a circular and place-based perspective. Finally, its possible implementation and integration with other decision-making support tools and the opportunity of applying it to inner areas are discussed
Scenario Analysis and Strategic Environmental Assessment
No full textThe European Union (EU) has introduced the Strategic Environmental Assessment (Directive 2001/42/EC), with the aim to support the implementation of actions in the long run and evaluate the impacts of policy, plan and programs The strategic thinking and the participation of the stakeholders to the decision-making process represent the main innovations in contrast to Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). In this context the paper presents scenarios analysis developed within Future studies literature as a tool to facilitate strategic thinking in SEA and to support an integrated planning process based on the participation of the main stakeholders involved. Starting from an analysis of the literature on case studies developed in different contest where scenario methods are test within SEA process, a cognitive methodological framework is pro-posed with the aim to underline the role of scenario analysis in each phase of SEA decision-making process, from the definition of the main scenarios to the evaluation of the strategic action and the monitoring after the plan implementation
Action research for the conservation of architectural heritage in marginal areas: The role of evaluation
Full text linkThe recognition of the key role of architectural heritage for sustainable territorial development has pushed the scientific community to give more importance to the involvement of local communities in conservation choices and practices. However, despite the recognition of the benefits deriving from the active participation of local communities in the field of conservation, in practice, this involvement is still marginal and linked to experiences without institutional support. This phenomenon is due to different causes, such as the lack of a participatory culture in conservation. It finds its roots in a conventional approach to architectural heritage conservation merely based on an “expert knowledge”. Consequently, there is an urgent need for approaches and tools to manage the complexity of decisions about conservation, which require close collaboration between local communities, research, and institutions. In this context, the paper aims to investigate the role of the action-research approach in fostering the participation of local communities in conservation processes, especially in marginal areas, where the demographic shrinking dynamics make even more necessary both the institutions’ intervention and the communities’ engagement. Based on these premises, starting from an analysis of recent experiences, the contribution dwells on the need to support the implementation of action-research approaches for the conservation of architectural heritage in marginal areas, paying particular attention to the role of evaluation. More in detail, in the first part of the paper, a reflection on the importance of community involvement for heritage conservation is proposed based on the main documents on the topic. In the second part, the main features of the action-research approach and its strengths and weaknesses have been analyzed through a literature review of action-research experiences applied to architectural heritage at a global level. The analyses have highlighted how most of these experiences are born from spontaneous initiatives, without institutional and methodological support, in which the role of evaluation is still marginal. Therefore, in the final part, the paper proposes a first methodological framework based on integrating action research with the main evaluation tools developed in the scientific literature to support the different phases of the decision-making process. This framework, suitably declined according to the specificities of the case study treated, can represent a valid support for implementing and transposing the research-action approach for heritage conservation in an institutional context
Decision Support Tools for Urban Contingency Policy. A Scenario Approach to Risk Management of the Vesuvio Area in Naples, Italy
No full textUsi Civici: Open Evaluation Issues in the Italian Legal Framework on Civic Use Properties
No full textDamage assessment for architectural heritage: The Cavallerizza Reale complex in Turin
Full text linkDamage assessment for architectural heritage stands as a relevant issue from an appraisal perspective due to heritage properties’ peculiar technological and building techniques and their complex social values. The specificity of Italian cultural heritage, widespread on the national territory, even in high environmental risk (landslides, earthquakes, and floods) areas, calls for dealing with the damage assessment theme by considering tangible and intangible features. Indeed, architectural heritage value is not limited only to its market or use value but must be expressed as a Total Economic Value, in its tangible and intangible components, that can be destroyed or affected by damages. In this context, the paper provides a relevant case study concerning the assessment of fire, lack of maintenance, and occupation damages for the ‘Pagliere’ buildings, located within the building complex ‘Cavallerizza Reale’ in Turin, which is included in the Unesco World Heritage list. Thanks to the specificities and the historical-architectural significance of the properties under analysis, this case study provided an interesting reflection on the methodological approach for the total damage assessment, given by the sum of its three different components: Fire damage, lack of maintenance damage, and abandonment damage. Based on the discussion of the results, the paper proposes some possible insights for future research focusing on assessing architectural heritage damages
Urban rent at risk: The point of view of private investors
No full textUrban transformation and regeneration interventions are complex processes in which a multitude of actors act in order to generate an overall value higher than the investment and proportional to the risks, related to each phase of real estate development process. The trade-off between risk and return is one of the essential element in investment decisions, even more in the context of urban transformations projects characterized by long-term time horizons, hence the difficulty for investors to predict the future. In this context, the paper proposes a reflection on the relationship between return and risk in urban transformation and regeneration interventions, focusing on the private investor’s perspective. A first questionnaire was proposed to a selected panel of experts, as pre-test, in order to highlight how the different actors involved in development processes perceive risk and how their adversity varies due to their role and the development phase. The first results of the pre-test phase have pointed out interesting aspects that deserve an in depth investigation through a survey extended to a larger sample, such as the importance of the involvement of private operators and the use of multidimensional and multi-stakeholder models to support risk management
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