Search results for "urban sprawl"
showing 10 items of 48 documents
Urbanisation and Urban Regionalisation Processes in the Metropolitan Area of Palermo
2021
This article provides empirical evidence that helps to answer several key questions relating to the regionalisation processes in Southern European cities. Several studies have documented the effects produced by the urban regionalisation process, especially in terms of territorial resource consumptions and the formation of new territorial patterns, overlooking the evaluation of public information that has been lost in terms of space and prerogatives of public action in the new post- metropolitan urban space. Starting from this theoretical framework, the interpretation of the post-metropolitan transition of Palermo through the filter of living in its dual dimension of being the outcome of soc…
Forms and Processes of Settlement Pressure on Natural Systems
2021
The process of urbanisation is considered one of the most significant anthropic alterations of the environmental framework, and the present study attempts to understand the spatial characteristics of urban growth and their impacts on envi- ronmental components in two metropolitan areas of Sicily. Such rapid and unplanned urbanisation in Sicily has increased during the last three decades causing severe pres- sure on various natural resources. In this situation, the level of fragmentation and isolation of natural areas risks becoming worse. The question assumes a particular relevance in those local territorial portions, such as some urban and periurban areas, presenting relevant conditions of…
The Centre-Periphery Dialectics in Eastern Sicily Retail System. An Exploratory Research
2020
This paper aims at scrutinizing from an historical perspective the deep transformations shaped by retail spaces and new consumption patterns challenging long-entrenched dichotomies, such as the centre-periphery one. In particular, the exploratory research explores the territorial reconfiguration of the main Eastern Sicily metropolitan areas, Catania and Messina, from the lens of the retail geography, namely after the diffusion of new suburban retail formats which have completely upset deeply-rooted relations between urban core and suburban rings.
Healthy design and urban planning strategies, actions, and policy to achieve salutogenic cities
2018
Starting from a previous experience carried out by the working group “Building and Environmental Hygiene” of the Italian Society of Hygiene and Preventive Medicine (SItI), the aim of the present work is to define new strategic goals for achieving a “Healthy and Salutogenic City”, which will be useful to designers, local governments and public bodies, policy makers, and all professionals working at local health agencies. Ten key points have been formulated: 1. climate change and management of adverse weather events; 2. land consumption, sprawl, and shrinking cities; 3. tactical urbanism and urban resilience; 4. urban comfort, safety, and security perception; 5. strengths and weaknesses of ur…
In Search of the Rurban Idyll? Developing the Residential Rural Areas in Finland
2013
This research focuses on perceptions of rurality in Finland. The chapter presents two different ways of delineating contemporary rural living: the approach of the Finnish Rural Policy Committee and the alternative approach arising from definitions given by the people living in rural Finland. The main aim is to study how the cultural meanings that rural residents attach to their home environments relate to the official vision of ‘Residential Rural Areas’ proposed by the Rural Policy Committee. This is done by comparing the experiential knowledge of rural residents to the official vision of future rurality. The research provides knowledge that can be used to evaluate the cultural sustainabili…
Fractal dimension versus density of built-up surfaces in the periphery of Brussels
2007
International audience; This paper aims at showing the usefulness of the fractal dimension for characterizing the spatial structure of the built-up surfaces within the periurban fringe. We first discuss our methodology and expectations in terms of operationality of the fractal dimension theoretically and geometrically. An empirical analysis is then performed on the southern periphery of Brussels (Brabant Wallon). The empirical analysis is divided into two parts: first, the effect of the size and shape of the windows on the fractal measures is empirically evaluated; this leads to a methodological discussion about the importance of the scale of analysis as well as the real sense of fractality…
Etalement urbain et consommation d'espace. Etude comparée de Besançon, Belfort et Montbéliard
2007
Urban sprawl constitutes a specific case of urbanization that is currently common in French cities. Arising from significant development of suburbs, it inevitably leads to the increase of built-up surfaces in every periurban area. At the same time, we can assume that urban sprawl induces over-consumption of space. This assumption is tested on the three main towns of Franche-Comté, that are associated with very different geographical, demographic and industrial characteristics (these characteristics are briefly described). The study confirms, in general, the reality of over-consumption of space, dependant on urban sprawl ; it seems generally independent of the individual characteristics of e…
The anthropogenic sealing of soils in urban areas
2009
The sealing of soils by impervious materials is, normally, detrimental to its ecological functions. Exchanges of energy, water and gases are restricted or hampered and an increasing pressure is being exerted on adjacent, non sealed areas. The negative effects span from loss of plant production and natural habitats to increased floods, pollution, and health risks and consequently higher social costs. Environmental Agencies produce periodical reports where the phenomenon of soil consumption by urban infrastructures is monitored with extremely sophisticated geographical tools but little specific research is available that describes the effects of soil sealing. This paper reviews some recent co…
A Mosaic of Suburbs: The Historic Boroughs of Palermo
2013
Palermo suburbs have grown and developed at the expense of becoming isolated from other parts of the city. Ancient boroughs have been eradicated, alongside their urban identities. The challenges of a cosmopolitan and global world are felt even in middle-sized, fringe cities like Palermo, as its suburbs are forced to become tiles of an urban mosaic that is created by urban development. It is the duty of urban scholars to clarify and strengthen the relationships between these urban parts, and in the process restore the neglected notion of neighborhood. By overcoming the distinction between cities and urban sprawl, the controversial dispute may be resolved by urban scholars. Through historica…
Fractal geometry for measuring and modelling urban patterns
2007
Urban growth generates nowadays patterns, which look rather irregular. Planning policy regrets the lack of compactness and density of these agglomerations, but controlling urban sprawl turns out to be difficult. Obviously a new type of spatial organisation emerges, which is rather the result of a self-organisation process to which a high number of social agents contribute. In the present contribution we focus on the use of fractal geometry which turned out to be a powerful instrument for describing the morphology of these patterns. After an introduction about the context of research, fractal models are presented, which serve as reference models for better understanding the spatial organisat…