Maurizio Tira

Efforts to evaluate the impact of the built environment on human health have been central to the planning. Substantial attention has been devoted to the areas of New Urbanism, Smart Growth, and Active Living to improve health conditions. However, less attention has been devoted to research focusing on traffic-related accidents and the road safety behavior. This study is based on the model formed in the TraSaCu (Transports Safety culture and safe system approach) project which aimed to bring together expertise in engineering (vehicle safety, road building, traffic system planning) as well as in the sciences of human action (psychology, sociology, anthropology) in order to develop a comprehensive framework of traffic safety culture. The fieldwork was done in the city of Brescia in Italy. The research is based on manual observations of safety violations of different road user’s including cyclists, motor bikes, pedestrians and cars. The field work was carried out during different times to understand the differences and similarities. Such data can help the planners and also decision makers, who can implement soft measures to change the road user’s behavior by knowing better the road safety culture.

More than half of humanity, about 4.5 billion people, live in urban areas, whether small or large. Cities are the cause and victims of climate change: responsible for 60-80% of energy consumption and 75% of CO2 emissions, not only due to the concentration of inhabitants, but also to the presence of services and industrial plants, they have to face pressure on freshwater resources, sewage and electricity networks, service management and mobility demand. The latter is closely linked to land uses, in a context in which the profiles of the organization of private and public life are constantly undergoing transformations. Developed as a reaction to urban sprawl, the compact city model, to which the scientific community seemed to be addressed, also entered into crisis during the COVID-19 pandemic. The text will try to argue on possible solutions to harmonize urban and mobility planning in the light of sustainable development.

In this study, we investigated the symptoms of physical and mental health associated with lifestyle changes due to a lockdown among the students of a university in Northern Italy, one of the most affected areas in Europe during the first wave of COVID-19. We examined the psychopathological variations in relation to mental health problems in a young population. The goal was to develop interventions to resolve these new psychosocial problems. From June to July 2020, students participated in an anonymous survey asking about habits and symptoms that emerged during the lockdown and the COVID-19 pandemic. Five health outcomes were assessed: digestive disorders; headaches; fear of COVID-19; panic and anxiety crises; and depression/sadness. The conditions and duration of the social isolation, lifestyle, SARS-CoV-2 infection in the household, financial situation, and productivity were considered in the analysis. A total of 3533 students completed the survey. The participants experienced headaches, depression and sadness, digestive disorders, a fear of COVID-19, and anxiety/panic crises. The duration of isolation was associated with an increased risk of digestive disorders, headaches, and COVID-19 fear. The female gender, medium–intense telephone usage, sleep quality, memory difficulties, and performance reduction were associated with an increased risk of the health outcomes. Future interventions should focus on promoting and implementing different habits with the support of health and university organizations.

Go back Fast analysis methods to evaluate urban requalification and regeneration opportunities in widespread areas [Applicazione di metodi di analisi speditiva per valutare le opportunità di rigenerazione urbana nei territori […]

The paper describes one of the Italian sprawl drivers: the circle triggered by the use of urban charges to solve budget problems. From 2005 to 2018, Italian municipalities could use urban charges to solve normal budget problems: they could plan new urban areas to provide new urban charges, new building and services, and they could manage old and new services at the expense of normal budget. The planning of unnecessary urban areas was effectively influenced by budget problems. The paper illustrates this issue during a period without open data sources in order to improve land management and environmental sustainability.

Anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are the highest they have ever been and the climate change they have triggered is having consequences on both human and natural systems. The aim of the paper is to demonstrate that an integrated reading of urban and rural land uses in relation to GHG emissions is feasible and useful at the regional level in order to reach emissions reduction. The Po Valley in Italy is an emblematic case study because its features are unique in Europe for high population density, urban sprawl, intensive agriculture, livestock management and consequently high emission levels. The methodology examines the total GHG emissions in relation to urban and rural areas. Between 2000 and 2010, the trend of CO₂-equivalent emissions for the macro-regions of Italy shows a national decrease in contrast to the area of our case study which has seen a steady increase and growth trend over time. The paper analyzes some possible reasons linked to this anomaly, and it presents an estimation of the CO₂-equivalent emissions related to the use of agricultural land. The main output of the paper is a new overview for research that aims to propose integrated solutions and policies at the local level with a wider vision focused on GHG emission knowledge, supported by Strategic Environmental Assessment.