Suchergebnisse

The cadastral systems existing in EU Member States satisfy private and public needs but there is no common regulation describing the purposes, minimum requirements and functions of the Cadastre in each State. In order to satisfy the need for harmonisation of Cadastres at the EU level, the Spanish Government's Official Performance Programme of the Spanish Presidency of the EU Council supported, in the first semester of 2002, the initiative proposed by the Spanish General Directorate for the Cadastre to hold the "First Congress on Cadastre in the European Union" (15-17 May 2002). The main objective of this conference was to study the role of the Cadastre at EU level and the methods for the integration of national models. For this purpose the Spanish General Directorate also presented two specific initiatives : 1) the project for a "Declaration on Cadastre in the European Union"; 2) the formation of a Cadastre Permanent Committee. A unique Cadastre at EU level would allow that the CAP (Community Agricultural Policy) is implemented by considering the best practices of the land owners. Moreover, the basic taxation principles and coordination of property taxation are shown in this paper. In the long term, the free movement of people, goods and capital will induce that the EU harmonises or at least coordinates property regimes, Land Registry and Cadastre in the Member States. Cadastres enable to change the land from an object of utilisation into capital and thus economic growth (that is a prerequisite for investments in estate enhancement and/or environmental protection). This is an essential part of LIS (Land Information System) and GIS (Geographic Information System) systems, that provide information crucial to decision making. The new soil cadastral certificate, besides land use and capability, should also take into account the sustainability. The Ground Cadastre should be developed into a multipurpose Soil Cadastre, i.e. an inventory for environmental, social, economic, legal and taxation purposes.

The authors report the survey of some flowerbeds located in the city of Palermo with the aim of assessing the sustainability of the plants and the interventions to be implemented, i.e. cutting or transfer of plants, to achieve a sustainable green. In the case in which it is possible to insert other plants in the flowerbeds, it is recommended to elaborate a project using programs that allow to have a preview of the spaces available for the new plants. This work is methodological and is aimed at creating a green that can achieve the functional objectives in relation to the site where it is located (sustainability in all aspects) and at low management costs with no or almost no irrigation practice.

The inexorable extension of urbanization is consuming huge amounts of soil drastically reducing natural vegetation, replacing it with buildings and low albedo surfaces. The changes due to the different thermal properties of surface materials and the lack of evapotranspiration in urban areas lead to a phenomenon known as "urban heat island effect". By reintroducing the vegetation back into the urban landscape, a partnership between nature and cities should be strengthened to create a new sustainable urban environment. Since the outer surfaces of building offer a great amount of space for vegetation, planting on roofs and walls has become one of the most innovative way to provide several environmental services. Moreover, all the green infrastructures, such as urban gardens or nature areas, that form an important part of cityscapes, could ensure also a thermal isolation and constitute a sustainable energy saving solution for buildings. This work presents a critical review of environmental and potential thermal benefits of green infrastructures in the cities.