- The broken grid: non-urbanised areas for climate change adaptation strategies in a metropolitan region   click here to open paper content576 kb
by    Martinico, Francesco & La Rosa, Daniele & Privitera, Riccardo | fmartinico@dau.unict.it   click here to send an email to the auther(s) of this paper
Short Outline
The evolution of non-urbanised areas fragmentation in Catania Metropolitan Area is assessed, with reference to land uses changes by sprawl dynamics. Criteria for a network of new forms of agriculture, leisure and environment protection are outlined.
Abstract
The contraction of green zones is today a key issue for land use planning with relation to climate change effects on urban areas. Furthermore, the loss of evapotranspiration surfaces and vegetated soils is one of the main consequences of urban sprawl processes.We present the case of Catania metropolitan area, the 2nd most populated urban region in Sicily, characterized by a considerable urban sprawl. Inside this complex “urban jam”, there are large non-urbanised spaces. These patches (cultivated and abandoned agricolture lands and lava fields from Mt. Etna), deeply fragmented, are often left for future development. These areas, strategic for minimizing climate changes consequences, are particularly important in the examined context, considering the lack of green spaces for ecological functions and leisure.The paper shows the results of analyses conducted in order to assess the evolution of the fragmentation of non-urbanised areas, since the beginning of the sprawl phenomenon (1960s) to nowadays, Particularly the effects of land uses changes related to sprawl dynamics have been focused. It has been conducted with GIS, using an extensive set of geodatabases, including aerial photos, vectorial/raster cartographies and field surveys. In addition, it explores the consequences of the implementation of already approved municipal masterplans. The results show the need of restoring the broken grid of non urbanised areas, identifying new forms of agriculture, leisure and environment protection. The proposed criteria are taking into account multimensional land use features and their relationships.The work is part of GRaBS project (GReen and Blue Space strategies for climate change adaptation in urban areas), funded by European Union (Interreg IV C).
Keywords
Climate change adaptation, Land use planning, GIS, non urbanised areas
Case Study presented on the ISOCARP Congress 2009: Low Carbon Cities
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