Suchergebnisse

The debate on the relevance of the global sustainability (including energy, environmental, social, economic, and political aspects) of building stock is becoming increasingly important in Europe. In this context, special attention is placed on the refurbishment of existing buildings, in particular those characterized by significant volumes and poor energy performance. Directive 2012/27/EU introduced stringent constraints (often disregarded) for public administrations to ensure a minimum yearly renovation quota of its building stock. This study describes how Life Cycle Cost analysis (LCC) can be used as a tool to identify the &ldquo ; cost-optimal level&rdquo ; among different design solutions to improve the energy performance of existing buildings. With this aim, a social housing building located in the town of Pisa (Italy) was chosen as the case study, for which two alternative renovation designs were compared using the LCC methodology to identify the optimal solution. The two alternatives were characterized by the same energy performance&mdash ; one was based on the demolition of the existing building and the construction of a new building (with a wooden frame structure, as proposed by the public company owner of the building), while the other was based on the renovation of the existing building. This study can provide useful information, especially for designers and public authorities, about the relevance of the economic issues related to the renovation of social housing in a Mediterranean climate.

The growing need for water has pressured society and governments to focus more on preservation, planning and management of this natural resource, which is fundamental to ecosystems, especially to humans. Therefore, the goal of this study was to analyze the national policies of water resources in Brazil and Italy, searching for aspects that could promote improvement, aiming at the preservation of water sources, guaranteeing satisfactory quantity and quality. In 2019, studies were carried out by environmental agencies of both countries, listing the main disciplinary regulations. Results show that although both countries have different realities, they have similarities in managerial aspects of water resources, with legislation addressing qualitative and quantitative aspects of water, with guiding principles, instruments and actions aimed at the defense of this natural resource.

The work started as part of the ROBUST project, funded by the HORIZON 2020 program of the European Union, came to an end December '21. ROBUST analyzed urban-rural connections, with a look at the governance systems and processes in 11 different European city-regions, in order to make recommendations for territorial policies and at different institutional levels. In line with the general purpose of the project, the Living Lab activated by the Province of Lucca and the Universities of Pisa and Florence had the objective of identifying urban-rural connections in the Lucca plain and tools to promote local synergies. The outcome of the collaboration between the academic and institutional partners is reported in a document accessible at this link. In a first phase, the work aimed at identifying the specific "functional" urban-rural connections, characterizing them in relation to food systems, eco-systemic services and cultural connections. In a second step, some possible instruments (both of government and governance) were analyzed, with reference to the context of the peri-urban areas of the Piana di Lucca, focusing attention on the potential of open and agricultural spaces, including abandoned land, to in order to generate mutually beneficial rural-urban relationships.

In recent decades, the interest in social innovation and nature-based solutions has spread in scientific articles, and they are increasingly deployed for cities' strategic planning. In this scenario, participatory approaches become pivotal to engaging the population and stakeholders in the decision-making process. In this paper, we reflect on the first year's results and the strengths and weaknesses—of the participatory activities realized in Lucca to co-design and co-deploy a smart city based on human–animal relationships in the framework of the European project Horizon 2020 (IN-HABIT). Human–animal bonds, as nature-based solutions, are scientifically and practically underestimated. Data were collected on the activities organized to implement a public–private–people partnership in co-designing infrastructural solutions (so-called Animal Lines) and soft nature-based solutions to be implemented in the city. Stakeholders actively engaged in mutual discussions with great enthusiasm, and the emergent ideas (the need to improve people's knowledge of animals and develop a map showing pet-friendly services and places and the need for integration to create innovative pet services) were copious and different while showing many connections among the various points of view. At the same time, a deeper reflection on the relationships among the participatory activities and institutionally integrated arrangements also emerged.

In the contemporaneity, the issues of land or soil consumption and of the protection of areas that, within the urban areas, provide ecosystem services (ESs) is becoming increasingly important also in relation of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. The concept of "Ecosystem Service" appears, in this respect, a fruitful support to define the land consumption effects on the loss of functionality and of settlement quality. Following this considerations the paper presents the first results of a research developed in Tuscany and commissioned by the Regional Government. The research aims to measure the loss of ESs in connection with land use/land cover transformations, and to verify the contribution of soil consumption to these variations. The research use methodologies for elaborating of the geographical data required for territorial governance, LUCL 2010/2016 and Land Cover Flow (LCF) model, and the theoretical model of the "Capacity matrix" to provide ecosystem services.