Abstract
This article sets out our research on the issue of dispersed urbanization (urban dust) and methods of reducing and controlling the phenomenon of land take. The case study of the Umbria region in Italy is used to outline some simulated scenarios of regional territorial physiognomy where a more targeted method of planning and designing settlements had been chosen to favor their aggregation and protect the vast landscape heritage of the region instead of the weak urban development policies that led to the current dispersion. The uchronia produced is useful in understanding the consequences caused by over half a century of poor territorial control. It also serves as a starting point for the development of retrofit policies for the current settlement model. By applying simulated solutions, the “urban dust” effect, today distinguishable throughout the region and in large parts of the country, would have been close to zero. The same urbanized surfaces present today would have been aggregated into larger, more compact areas within the main historical agglomerations. In addition to the application of volume and surface aggregation models, it would surely have been necessary to resort to more efficient “plans” and “projects” guaranteeing better functional quality of urban systems, the protection of natural and rural landscapes from the siege of urbanization and the reduction of the current high, infrastructural density. The positive effects of urban compactness are low infrastructure rates in territories, greater efficiency of transport and public services and the significant reduction in ecosystemic fragmentation of habitats.
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Acknowledgments
The methodology presented has been implemented in the research project and monitoring effort supported by the Umbria Region, which we would like to thank for the resources provided. We are grateful to WWF Italia Onlus (Stefano Lenzi and Andrea Agapito Ludovici) and Cheryl Di Lorenzo for their collaboration, as well as anonymous reviewers and the chief editor who, through their comments, have allowed us to significantly improve the quality of this paper.
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Received: Sep 3, 2020
Accepted: Mar 3, 2021
Published online: May 7, 2021
Published in print: Sep 1, 2021
Discussion open until: Oct 7, 2021
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