Mariano Gallo

This study estimates the impact of some socio-economic, real estate, and accessibility factors on the demographic change of the Italian provinces. Migration rates were analysed for one hundred and thirteen provincial capitals, or former provincial capitals, and their territories, and the correlation between them and various socio-economic and accessibility variables was studied. The data analysis showed significant heterogeneity between the different territorial areas of the country, highlighting the well-known phenomenon of migration from southern to northern regions. The aim of this paper is to investigate whether and to what extent accessibility variables have a direct influence on internal migration phenomena, in addition to the other socio-economic variables involved. Multiple linear regression models were specified and calibrated to correlate migration rates with various socio-economic and accessibility variables. The results show a non-negligible impact of certain accessibility variables on the migration phenomenon and suggest the need to work on the infrastructure front to rebalance the country’s demographic and socio-economic structure.

In the near future, fully autonomous vehicles may revolutionise mobility and contribute to the development of the smart city concept. In this work, we assume that vehicles are not only fully autonomous but also centrally controlled by a single operator, who can also define the traffic light control parameters at intersections. With the aim of optimising the system to achieve a global optimum, the operator can define both the routes of the fleet of vehicles and the traffic light control parameters. This paper proposes a model for the joint optimisation of traffic light control parameters and autonomous vehicle routes to achieve the system optimum. The model, which is solved using a gradient algorithm, is tested on networks of different sizes. The results obtained show the validity of the proposed approach and the advantages of centralised management of vehicles and intersection control parameters.

The Italian National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP) includes, among other measures, investments in hydrogen vehicle refuelling stations, intending to promote the use of fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) for long-haul freight transport. This paper evaluates the impact that this action could have on CO₂ emissions and fuel consumption, focusing on a case study of the Campania region. The proposed approach, which can also be transferred to other geographical contexts, requires the implementation of a freight road transport simulation model; this model is based on the construction of a supply model, the estimation of road freight demand, and an assignment procedure for computing traffic flows. This study covers the period from 2025 to 2040, according to the forecasts of the NRRP and some assumptions on the action effects; moreover, it is assumed that hydrogen is entirely produced from renewable sources (green hydrogen). The key findings from three different scenarios show that savings between 423,832 and 778,538 tonnes of CO₂, and between 144 and 264 million litres of diesel could be obtained.

This paper evaluates the impact of high-speed rail systems on tourist attractiveness in Italy. The analysis is carried out with reference to provincial capitals, only some of which are served by high-speed railway lines. To achieve this objective, two multiple linear regression models were specified and calibrated, which relate arrivals and presences in accommodation facilities to several factors that could influence the tourist destination: cultural, historical, and monumental heritage, commercial activities, recreational activities, accessibility, etc. Both models showed that the availability of high-speed railway services is an important factor in the choice of tourist destination, being, moreover, the only accessibility variable found to be significant; furthermore, the elasticity of tourist demand to this factor was significant too.

The Italian Recovery and Resilience Plan promotes, among its many actions, the use of hydrogen by the deployment of refuelling stations for heavy-duty vehicles, predicting a 5–7% penetration rate of fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) for long-distance freight transport. In this work, the impact of this action on the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and consumption was estimated, assuming the plan’s objectives are met. To achieve this aim, a national simulation model of the road freight transport system was implemented, consisting of a graph of the national road network and an inter-provincial origin-destination matrix; the graph was based on data available from OpenStreetMap, while the interprovincial matrix was estimated from the interregional matrix with the use of two linear regression models, one for emitted goods and one for attracted goods. The simulation of the system made it possible to estimate the impact of this action on CO₂ emissions and fuel consumption under three different scenarios. From 2025 to 2040, a reduction in CO₂ emissions ranging from around 9 to around 16.5 million tonnes was estimated, and a reduction in consumption ranging from around 3 billion to around 5.6 billion litres of diesel. These results show how this action can be seen as one of the bricks contributing to the fight against global warming.

We propose a model for optimising driving speed profiles on metro lines to reduce traction energy consumption. The model optimises the cruising speed to be maintained on each section between two stations; the functions that link the cruising speed to the travel time on the section and the corresponding energy consumption are built using microscopic railway simulation software. In addition to formulating an optimisation model and its resolution through a gradient algorithm, the problem is also solved by using a simulation model and the corresponding optimisation module, with which stochastic factors may be included in the problem. The results are promising and show that traction energy savings of over 25% compared to non-optimised operations may be achieved.

In this paper, a review of the main actions and policies that can be implemented to promote sustainable mobility is proposed. The work aims to provide a broad, albeit necessarily not exhaustive, analysis of the main studies and research that from different points of view have focused on sustainable mobility. The structure of the paper enables the reader to easily identify the topics covered and the studies related to them, so as to guide him/her to the related in-depth studies. In the first part of the paper, there is a preliminary analysis of the concept of sustainable mobility, the main transport policies implemented by the European Union and the USA, and the main statistical data useful to analyze the problem. Next, the main policies that can promote sustainable mobility are examined, classifying them into three topics: Environmental, socio-economic, and technological. Many of the policies and actions examined could be classified into more than one of the three categories used; for each of them, there is a description and the main literature work on which the topic can be analyzed in more detail. The paper concludes with a discussion on the results obtained and the prospects for research.