2020

This research proposes an application of a MultiCriteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) in the adaptive reuse framework, which is able to structure the complex decision process required for the effective reuse of an historic district. Nowadays, many cities are facing an economic, financial, social and urban decline. This is particularly true when thinking about historic districts, which are usually characterized by high unique cultural values but, at the same time, show difficult characteristics in terms of comfort and security.

The paper investigates the combined use of storytelling and the Simos-Roy-Figueira (SRF) method to support the identification of the most important decision criteria in a decision process concerning a valorization strategy for a UNESCO’s MaB reserve. The approach is illustrated with an Italian case study (“CollinaPo”), describing one of the four focus groups where it has been applied, as part of a training course to discover and valorize the values and peculiarities of the area.

Our cities represent the crucial nodes of interventionto improve living conditions and promote sustainability.Therefore, the current pandemic, combined with theclimate emergency, translates into an urban emergency.In light of the devastating effects of Covid-19 and therethinking of the concept of sustainability, the goal ofdeveloping inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainablecities and human settlements pursued by theSustainable Development Goal 11 may now requirerevision in terms of the indicators used for it

To achieve the international emission reduction targets, current researches underline the need to overcome the dominant techno-centric approaches to energy transition, in favor of analyses that explore in more detail those practices and organizational assets that play a role in favoring a transition towards a low-carbon society. In this light, the article focuses on governance practices and, in particular, on the different tools and actors involved across variable scales and temporalities.

The urban planning and evaluation literature suggests that making a walkable city means creating a resilient and healthy city. In recent years, alternative mobility has been the subject of numerous studies, showing that the concept of urban walkability can be used as an additional support in planning resilient cities. Though researchers agree that walkability assessment has a positive impact on public space planning, it is still difficult to include the topic in planning strategies because of its novelty in the scientific debate.

The paper shows how multiple criteria decision aiding (MCDA) tools can support the analyses of six hypotheses of adaptive reuse of an iconic historical building in Turin, Italy (called stock exchange) to identify the preferred alternative. In the last 2 years, the debate around the requalification of the building has been huge for several reasons: it is perceived as a “monument” by citizens; it shows architectural and typological values nationally recognized; it involves public and private interests.

In Italia, come in altri Paesi europei, sono in atto un riposizionamento e un riallineamento degli obiettivi e degli strumenti di governo del territorio, nuove geografie istituzionali basate maggiormente sulla sussidiarietà e sulla cooperazione inter-istituzionale a sostegno dello sviluppo locale. Le Città Metropolitane, come enti intermedi, sono chiamate a redigere specifici piani strategici metropolitani (Psm) ed, in particolare, piani urbani per la mobilità sostenibile (Pums).

According to the “evolutionary” approach (Davoudi & Al., 2012), urban resilience implies that urban systems have capacity to react to several external disturbances - economic, social, environmental - regarding all components of urban governance and transforming itself in a new development model.

Performance-based planning (PBP) is an approach to define a flexible, strategic and site-based scenario for the improvement of the social-ecological quality of the territory. The paper provides an experimentation of environmental compensation within the Italian context that can be traced back to the performance-based planning approach.

An effective biodiversity conservation in Protected Areas (PAs) requires that they are seen as part of larger ecosystems and that the ecological connectivity is maintained beyond PA administrative boundaries.