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.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
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.
References
Allen, J., and K. Lu. 2003. “Modeling and prediction of future urban growth in the Charleston region of South Carolina: A GIS-based integrated approach.” Conserv. Ecol. 8 (2): 2. https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-00595-080202.
Amato, F., B. A. Maimone, F. Martellozzo, G. Nolè, and B. Murgante. 2016. “The effects of urban policies on the development of urban areas.” Sustainability 8 (4): 297. https://doi.org/10.3390/su8040297.
Arribas-Bel, D., P. Nijkamp, and H. Scholten. 2011. “Multidimensional urban sprawl in Europe: A self-organizing map approach.” Comput. Environ. Urban Syst. 35 (4): 263–275. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compenvurbsys.2010.10.002.
Astengo, G. 1958. “Il Piano Regolatore Generale di Assisi.” Urbanistica 27 (24/25): 17–36.
Aurambout, J. P., R. Barranco, and C. Lavalle. 2018. “Towards a simpler characterization of urban sprawl across Urban Areas in Europe.” Land 7 (1): 33. https://doi.org/10.3390/land7010033.
Barredo, J. I., M. Kasanko, N. McCormick, and C. Lavalle. 2003. “Modelling dynamic spatial processes: Simulation of urban future scenarios through cellular automata.” Landscape Urban Plann. 64 (3): 145–160. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0169-2046(02)00218-9.
Bonifazi, A., V. Sannicandro, R. Attardi, C. Di Cugno, and C. M. Torre. 2016. “Countryside vs city: A user-centered approach to open spatial indicators of urban sprawl.” In Int. Conf. on Computational Science and Its Applications, 161–176. Cham, Switzerland: Springer.
Broitman, D., and E. Koomen. 2015. “Residential density change: Densification and urban expansion.” Comput. Environ. Urban Syst. 54: 32–46. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compenvurbsys.2015.05.006.
Brueckner, J. K. 2000. “Urban sprawl: Diagnosis and remedies.” Int. Reg. Sci. Rev. 23 (2): 160–171. https://doi.org/10.1177/016001700761012710.
Bueno-Suárez, C., and D. Coq-Huelva. 2020. “Sustaining what is unsustainable: A review of urban sprawl and urban socio-environmental policies in North America and Western Europe.” Sustainability 12 (11): 4445. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12114445.
Camagni, R., M. C. Gibelli, and P. Rigamonti. 2002. “Urban mobility and urban form: The social and environmental costs of different patterns of urban expansion.” Ecol. Econ. 40 (2): 199–216. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0921-8009(01)00254-3.
Conticelli, E., S. Proli, and S. Tondelli. 2017. “Integrating energy efficiency and urban densification policies: Two Italian case studies.” Energy Build. 155: 308–323. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2017.09.036.
Couch, C., G. Petschel-Held, and L. Leontidou, eds. 2008. Urban sprawl in Europe: Landscape, land-use change and policy. Oxford, UK: Blackwell.
EC (European Commission). 2006. Urban sprawl in Europe—The ignored challenge. Copenaghen, Denmark: Joint Researche Center.
EC (European Commission). 2016. Future brief: No net land take by 2050? CE 14. Brussels, Belgium: EC.
Ewing, R. H. 2008. “Characteristics, causes, and effects of sprawl: A literature review.” In Urban ecology, edited by J. M. Marzluff, E. Shulenberger, W. Endlicher, M. Alberti, G. Bradley, C. Ryan, U. Simon, and C. ZumBrunnen, 519–535. Boston: Springer.
Falco, E., and F. Chiodelli. 2018. “The tn of development rights in the midst of the economic crisis: Potential, innovation and limits in Italy.” Land Use Policy 72: 381–388. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2017.12.069.
Fang, S., G. Z. Gertner, Z. Sun, and A. A. Anderson. 2005. “The impact of interactions in spatial simulation of the dynamics of urban sprawl.” Landscape Urban Plann. 73 (4): 294–306. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2004.08.006.
Fatone, S., E. Conticelli, and S. Tondelli. 2012. “Environmental sustainability and urban densification.” WIT Trans. Ecol. Environ. 155 (12): 217–228. https://doi.org/10.2495/SC120191.
Fiorini, L., F. Zullo, A. Marucci, and B. Romano. 2018. “Land take and landscape loss: Effect of uncontrolled urbanization in Southern Italy.” J. Urban Manag. 8: 42–56. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jum.2018.09.003.
Freire, S. 2009. “Recent urbanization and land use/land cover change in Portugal–the influence of coastline and coastal urban centers.” In Vol. 2 of Proc., 10th Int. Coastal Symp., 1499–1503. Lawrence, KS: Coastal Education & Research Foundation.
Gabrielli, B. 2010. “Urban planning challenged by historic urban landscape.” In Managing historic cities Gérer les villes historiques, World Heritage Papers 27, 19–26. Paris: UNESCO.
Gascon, F., E. Cadau, O. Colin, B. Hoersch, C. Isola, B. López Fernández, and P. Martimort. 2018. “Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission: Products, algorithms and Cal/Val.” In Proc. SPIE 9218, Earth Observing Systems XIX. 1–9, https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2062260.
Geneletti, D. 2004. “Using spatial indicators and value functions to assess ecosystem fragmentation caused by linear infrastructures.” Int. J. Appl. Earth Obs. Geoinf. 5 (1): 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jag.2003.08.004.
Geneletti, D., D. la Rosa, M. Spyra, and C. Cortinovis. 2017. “A review of approaches and challenges for sustainable planning in urban peripheries.” Landsc. Urban Plan. 165: 231–243. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2017.01.013.
Geudtner, D., R. Torres, P. Snoeij, M. Davidson, and B. Rommen. 2014. “Sentinel-1 system capabilities and applications.” In 2014 IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symp., 1457–1460. New York: IEEE. https://doi.org/10.1109/IGARSS.2014.6946711.
Grifoni, R. C., M. D’Onofrio, and M. Sargolini, eds. 2018. Quality of life in urban landscapes: In search of a decision support system. Berlin: Springer.
Hennig, E. I., C. Schwick, T. Soukup, E. Orlitova, F. Kienast, and J. A. G. Jaeger. 2015. “Multi-scale analysis of urban sprawl in Europe: Towards a European de-sprawling strategy.” Land Use Policy 49: 483–498. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2015.08.001.
ISPRA. 2018. Consumo di suolo, dinamiche territoriali e servizi ecosistemici. Rapporto 2018. Roma: ISPRA.
Jantz, C. A., S. J. Goetz, and M. K. Shelley. 2004. “Using the SLEUTH urban growth model to simulate the impacts of future policy scenarios on urban land use in the Baltimore-Washington metropolitan area.” Environ. Plann. B 31 (2): 251–271. https://doi.org/10.1068/b2983.
Laidley, T. 2016. “Measuring sprawl: A new index, recent trends, and future research.” Urban Aff. Rev. 52 (1): 66–97. https://doi.org/10.1177/1078087414568812.
Liu, L., and L. Meng. 2020. “Patterns of urban sprawl from a global perspective.” J. Urban Plann. Dev. 146 (2): 04020004. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)UP.1943-5444.0000558.
Lukez, P. 2007. Suburban transformations. New York: Princeton Architectural Press.
Manganelli, B., B. Murgante, and L. Saganeiti. 2020. “The social cost of urban sprinkling.” Sustainability 12 (6): 2236. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12062236.
Mantey, D., and W. Pokojski. 2020. “New indicators of spatial chaos in the context of the need for retrofitting suburbs.” Land 9 (8): 276. https://doi.org/10.3390/land9080276.
Marique, A. F., and S. Reiter. 2014. “Retrofitting the suburbs: Insulation, density, urban form and location.” Environ. Manage. Sustainable Dev. 3 (2): 138–153. https://doi.org/10.5296/emsd.v3i2.6589.
Martellozzo, F., F. Amato, B. Murgante, and K. C. Clarke. 2018. “Modelling the impact of urban growth on agriculture and natural land in Italy to 2030.” Appl. Geogr. 91: 156–167. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apgeog.2017.12.004.
Murgante, B., and M. Danese. 2011. “Urban versus rural: The decrease of agricultural areas and the development of urban zones analyzed with spatial statistics.” Int. J. Agric. Environ. Inf. Syst. 2 (2): 16–28. https://doi.org/10.4018/jaeis.2011070102.
Piccinato, G. 2010. “Centenary paper: A brief history of Italian town planning after 1945.” Town Plann. Rev. 81 (3): 237–259. https://doi.org/10.3828/tpr.2010.1.
Reid, J. D., Jr. 1975. “Sharecropping in history and theory.” Agric. History 49 (2): 426–440.
Romano, B., L. Fiorini, and A. Marucci. 2019. “Italy without urban “sprinkling.” A Uchronia for a country that needs a retrofit of its urban and landscape planning.” Sustainability 11 (12): 3469. https://doi.org/10.3390/su11123469.
Romano, B., and F. Zullo. 2013. “Models of urban land use in Europe: Assessment tools and criticalities.” Int. J. Agric. Environ. Inf. Syst. 4 (3): 80–97. https://doi.org/10.4018/ijaeis.2013070105.
Romano, B., and F. Zullo. 2016. “Half a century of urbanization in Southern European lowlands: A study on the Po Valley (Northern Italy).” Urban Res. Pract. 9 (2): 109–130. https://doi.org/10.1080/17535069.2015.1077885.
Romano, B., F. Zullo, L. Fiorini, S. Ciabò, and A. Marucci. 2017. “Sprinkling: An approach to describe urbanization dynamics in Italy.” Sustainability 9 (1): 97. https://doi.org/10.3390/su9010097.
Rosni, N. A., and A. P. D. N. Mohd Noor. 2017. “A review of literature on urban sprawl: Assessment of factors and causes.” J. Archit. Plann. Constr. Manage. 6 (1).
Saganeiti, L., A. Favale, A. Pilogallo, F. Scorza, and B. Murgante. 2018. “Assessing urban fragmentation at regional scale using sprinkling indexes.” Sustainability 10 (9): 3274. https://doi.org/10.3390/su10093274.
Salvati, L., M. Munafò, V. G. Morelli, and A. Sabbi. 2012. “Low-density settlements and land use changes in a Mediterranean urban region.” Landscape Urban Plann. 105 (1–2): 43–52. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2011.11.020.
Schmidt-Thomé, K., M. Haybatollahi, M. Kyttä, and J. Korpi. 2013. “The prospects for urban densification: A place-based study.” Environ. Res. Lett. 8 (2): 025020. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/8/2/025020.
Schwarz, N., D. Haase, and R. Seppelt. 2010. “Omnipresent sprawl? A review of urban simulation models with respect to urban shrinkage.” Environ. Plann. B 37 (2): 265–283. https://doi.org/10.1068/b35087.
Shaban, R. A. 1987. “Testing between competing models of sharecropping.” J. Political Econ. 95 (5): 893–920. https://doi.org/10.1086/261495.
Shahab, S., P. Clinch, and E. O’Neill. 2018. “Estimates of transaction costs in transfer of development rights programs.” J. Am. Plann. Assoc. 84 (1): 61–75. https://doi.org/10.1080/01944363.2017.1406816.
Shi, L., S. Yang, and L. Gao. 2016. “Effects of a compact city on urban resources and environment.” J. Urban Plann. Dev. 142 (4): 05016002. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)UP.1943-5444.0000324.
Silva, E. A., and K. C. Clarke. 2002. “Calibration of the SLEUTH urban growth model for Lisbon and Porto, Portugal.” Comput. Environ. Urban Syst. 26 (6): 525–552. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0198-9715(01)00014-X.
Singh, N. 1989. “Theories of sharecropping.” In The economic theory of agrarian institutions, edited by P. Bardhan, 33–72.
Skovbro, A. 2002. “Urban densification—A sustainable urban policy?” WIT Trans. Ecol. Environ. 54: 517–527. https://doi.org/10.2495/URS020491.
Squires, G. D., ed. 2002. Urban sprawl: Causes, consequences, & policy responses. Washington, DC: Urban Institute Press.
Talen, E. 2011. “Sprawl retrofit: Sustainable urban form in unsustainable places.” Environ. Plann. B 38 (6): 952–978. https://doi.org/10.1068/b37048.
Tobler, W. R. 1970. “A computer movie simulating urban growth in the Detroit region.” Econ. Geogr. 46 (1): 234–240. https://doi.org/10.2307/143141.
UN. 2016. Urbanization and development: Emerging futures. Nairobi, Kenya: UN Habitat.
Urbieta, P., E. Fernandez, L. Ramosa, G. Méndez Martínez, and R. Bento. 2019. “A land-cover based urban dispersion indicator suitable for highly dispersed, discontinuously artificialized territories: The case of Continental Portugal.” Land Use Policy 85: 92–103. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2019.03.048.
Xu, G., Z. Zhou, L. Jiao, and R. Zhao. 2020. “Compact urban form and expansion pattern slow down the decline in urban densities: A global perspective.” Land Use Policy 94: 104563. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2020.104563.
Zhang, J., Y. Wang, and Y. Ge. 2020. “Evaluating the relationship between urban population growth and land expansion from a policymaking perspective: Ningbo, China.” J. Urban Plann. Dev. 146 (4): 04020045. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)UP.1943-5444.0000632.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Urban Planning and Development
Volume 147 • Issue 3 • September 2021
Copyright
© 2021 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
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
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.
Cited by
- Angela Pilogallo, Lucia Saganeiti, Lorena Fiorini, Alessandro Marucci, Ecosystem Services for Planning Impacts Assessment on Urban Settlement Development, Computational Science and Its Applications – ICCSA 2022 Workshops, 10.1007/978-3-031-10542-5_17, (241-253), (2022).