Search results for "EUROPEAN CITIES"
showing 6 items of 6 documents
Urban change and regional development at the margins of Europe: an introduction
2018
Since the beginning of the nineties the urban dimension has taken a growing relevance within the EU’s regional policy. The implementation of community initiatives or other areabased projects under the structural funds has meant for several cities a tangible opportunity to start urban renewal, introduce innovative planning instruments and implement new governance relations. In the so called “less developed” regions, this process has also been accompanied by significant financial resources, giving local governments and municipalities the chance to start large infrastructure projects of metropolitan or even regional relevance. Development processes in regions and urban areas, however, have fol…
Describing urban soils through a faceted system ensures more informed decision-making
2016
Urban areas are increasing worldwide at a dramatic rate and their soils definitely deserve more attention than they have received in the past. In urban environments, soils potentially provide the same ecosystem services as in rural and wild environments, although in some cases they are depleted of their basic functions, such as when they lose their productive and filtering capacities because of sealing, and become mere supports for infrastructures. In other cases, soils of urban areas acquire new functions that are unique to these environments. Current soil classifications fail to effectively account for the complexity of urban soils and the information that is required for their management…
Cities and regional disparities in the European Union: evolving geographies and challenges for Cohesion Policy
2021
Since the nineties, urban areas have assumed a growing importance in EU Cohesion Policy. This process, which is being implemented through various political steps and policy instruments, has led cities to be recognised as key elements in the promotion of balanced development. After decades of planning experiments at different territorial scales, however, the extent to which EU urban policy has contributed to regional development is currently under debate. This paper seeks to describe the evolution of the urban dimension within EU Cohesion Policy, with a focus on the role of cities in those countries and regions experiencing development problems.
Giustizia ambientale e recupero delle aree verdi: il caso di Palermo
2021
L’urban shrinkage è diventata una questione centrale tanto nel dibattito scientifico quanto nell’agenda politica di diverse città europee. Secondo i dati EUROSTAT (2019), circa il 40% delle città europee con più di 200.000 abitanti stanno perdendo popolazione; una contrazione che si esplicita maggiormente, sotto il profilo spaziale, in una progressiva sottoutilizzazione del patrimonio edificato, così come nel contestuale incremento di aree e terreni in stato di abbandono. In questo quadro controverso di mutazione strutturale della città, così come l’abbiamo conosciuta, le politiche urbane alla prova in Europa tentano di declinare la decrescita quale occasione strategica di investimento sull…
La cultura ci salverà? Processi di touristification a base culturale nel centro storico di Palermo
2023
Negli ultimi tre decenni la cultura ha avuto un ruolo chiave nella costruzione delle politiche urbane, divenendo uno strumento decisivo nella definizione delle strategie di sviluppo economico e nell’accesso alla competizione globale che caratterizzano l’attuale regime di neoliberismo urbano (Miles e Paddison 2005). Anche nel sud Europa la cosiddetta rigenerazione a base culturale ha rappresentato e continua ancora oggi a rappresentare una vera e propria ortodossia urbana, che trova nel turismo tanto una ragione di esistenza quanto un campo di attuazione. In particolare, negli ultimi anni i centri storici di molte città sudeuropee sono stati oggetto di trasformazioni profonde in cui pratiche…
Comparing the morphology of urban patterns in Europe
2004
The sprawling urban patterns typical for the outskirts of many europen metropolitan areas seem to be amorphous and it is difficult to find references for describing them. However, for managing sprawl it seems important to have quantitative descriptors, which allow distinguishing different types of urban patterns and which are less ambiguous than traditional density measures. a better knowledge of these patterns should also point to the underlying context of urbanisation at their root. More concretely: to what extent are planned patterns different from less planned ones? Do planned or unplanned patterns show comparable morphological features?