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I recenti eventi di innalzamento parossistico delle temperature, verificatisi in molte aree del pianeta, dimostrano che il cambiamento climatico rappresenta uno dei principali problemi a cui è necessario dare risposte rapide ed efficaci. La letteratura scientifica di riferimento sottolinea l’importanza di analizzare le relazioni tra le caratteristiche socioeconomiche della popolazione e l’organizzazione fisico-funzionale dei sistemi urbani. Inoltre, il concetto di vulnerabilità è oramai parte del bagaglio teorico ed operativo per le analisi di rischio dei cambiamenti climatici. Partendo da tali premesse, l’obiettivo del presente lavoro è identificabile nella messa a punto di una procedura per la costruzione di mappe di vulnerabilità alla scala locale riferite ad uno dei fenomeni del cambiamento climatico quali le isole di calore urbano, al fine di supportare i decisori locali nella definizione di un quadro sistematico di idonee misure di mitigazione e adattamento.

I recenti eventi di innalzamento parossistico delle temperature, verificatisi in molte aree del pianeta, dimostrano che il cambiamento climatico rappresenta uno dei principali problemi a cui è necessario dare risposte rapide ed efficaci. La letteratura scientifica di riferimento sottolinea l’importanza di analizzare le relazioni tra le caratteristiche socioeconomiche della popolazione e l’organizzazione fisico-funzionale dei sistemi urbani. Inoltre, il concetto di vulnerabilità è oramai parte del bagaglio teorico ed operativo per le analisi di rischio dei cambiamenti climatici. Partendo da tali premesse, l’obiettivo del presente lavoro è identificabile nella messa a punto di una procedura per la costruzione di mappe di vulnerabilità alla scala locale riferite ad uno dei fenomeni del cambiamento climatico quali le isole di calore urbano, al fine di supportare i decisori locali nella definizione di un quadro sistematico di idonee misure di mitigazione e adattamento.

The Antarctic continent plays a fundamental role in the global climate system and its role is particularly important in a climate change scenario. Since the '90s, the Ross Sea and the coastal area of Terra Nova Bay have been chosen as specific and peculiar research sites for climatic investigations within the LTER (Long-Term Ecological Research) network. Studies have been conducted by both Italian and international Universities and research centres.This macro-site area is characterized by abundant primary productivity, and zooplankton and benthonic communities. The objective of the research activities is the acquisition of long-term time series related to the biotic communities, the bio-geochemical fluxes and the physico-chemical parameters of the water column in the Ross Sea area. To this aim, four Moorings (A, B, D and H) were deployed to obtain the above-mentioned data, which will be very useful to improve the quality of the existing bio-geochemical models and to provide more precise information on the Antarctic marine ecosystem in relation to global climate change. In the Terra Nova Bay research site, the activities are devoted to the characterization of the relationship between the structure and the dynamic of the pelagic and benthonic communities and the ice cover. Numerous physical, chemical and biological data were collected from the four Moorings, the water samples retrieved at the Terra Nova Bay site and the sediments samples. Such fundamental data allowed establishing an important starting point to better understand the climate change phenomena occurred in the last twenty years, and that will occur in the future, in the Ross Sea Area.

The Antarctic continent plays a fundamental role in the global climate system and its role is particularly important in a climate change scenario. Since the '90s, the Ross Sea and the coastal area of Terra Nova Bay have been chosen as specific and peculiar research sites for climatic investigations within the LTER (Long-Term Ecological Research) network. Studies have been conducted by both Italian and international Universities and research centres.This macro-site area is characterized by abundant primary productivity, and zooplankton and benthonic communities. The objective of the research activities is the acquisition of long-term time series related to the biotic communities, the bio-geochemical fluxes and the physico-chemical parameters of the water column in the Ross Sea area. To this aim, four Moorings (A, B, D and H) were deployed to obtain the above-mentioned data, which will be very useful to improve the quality of the existing bio-geochemical models and to provide more precise information on the Antarctic marine ecosystem in relation to global climate change. In the Terra Nova Bay research site, the activities are devoted to the characterization of the relationship between the structure and the dynamic of the pelagic and benthonic communities and the ice cover. Numerous physical, chemical and biological data were collected from the four Moorings, the water samples retrieved at the Terra Nova Bay site and the sediments samples. Such fundamental data allowed establishing an important starting point to better understand the climate change phenomena occurred in the last twenty years, and that will occur in the future, in the Ross Sea Area.

Scientific literature about energy retrofit focuses on single buildings, but the investigation of whole building stocks is particularly worthy because it can yield substantial energy, environmental and economic benefits. Hence, how to address large-scale energy retrofit of a building stock? The paper handles this issue by employing a methodology that provides the robust energy assessment of building categories. This is denoted as SLABE, “Simulation-based Large-scale uncertainty/sensitivity Analysis of Building Energy performance”. It was presented by the same authors to address the energy retrofit of a building category and is here enhanced to investigate a whole and heterogeneous building stock that includes various categories. Each category is represented by a Representative Building Sample (RBS), which is defined through Latin hypercube sampling and uncertainty analysis. Hence, optimal retrofit packages are found in function of buildings’ location, intended use and construction type. Two families of optimal solutions are achieved. The first one collects the most energy-efficient (and thus sustainable) solutions, among the ones that produce global cost savings, thereby addressing the collective perspective. The second one collects cost-optimal solutions thereby addressing the private perspective. EnergyPlus is employed as simulation tool and coupled with MATLAB® for data analysis and processing. The methodology is applied to a significant segment of the Italian public administration building stock, which includes several building categories depending on location, use destination and construction type. The outcomes show huge potential energy and economic savings, and could support a deep energy renovation of the Italian building stock

Scientific literature about energy retrofit focuses on single buildings, but the investigation of whole building stocks is particularly worthy because it can yield substantial energy, environmental and economic benefits. Hence, how to address large-scale energy retrofit of a building stock? The paper handles this issue by employing a methodology that provides the robust energy assessment of building categories. This is denoted as SLABE, “Simulation-based Large-scale uncertainty/sensitivity Analysis of Building Energy performance”. It was presented by the same authors to address the energy retrofit of a building category and is here enhanced to investigate a whole and heterogeneous building stock that includes various categories. Each category is represented by a Representative Building Sample (RBS), which is defined through Latin hypercube sampling and uncertainty analysis. Hence, optimal retrofit packages are found in function of buildings’ location, intended use and construction type. Two families of optimal solutions are achieved. The first one collects the most energy-efficient (and thus sustainable) solutions, among the ones that produce global cost savings, thereby addressing the collective perspective. The second one collects cost-optimal solutions thereby addressing the private perspective. EnergyPlus is employed as simulation tool and coupled with MATLAB® for data analysis and processing. The methodology is applied to a significant segment of the Italian public administration building stock, which includes several building categories depending on location, use destination and construction type. The outcomes show huge potential energy and economic savings, and could support a deep energy renovation of the Italian building stock

By referring to the wider strategies set up, starting from the middle of the Nineties, by the European cities to promote a sustainable urban mobility and to the more recent concept of soft mobility, which generally includes pedestrian and cycling mobility, this contribution focuses on pedestrian mobility in urban areas, outlining criteria and methods for planning and designing networks of urban public open spaces, such as roads and squares, devoted to an exclusive or prevailing pedestrian use. First of all, the paper analyzes the multiple roles played by roads and squares within the cities: “axes” supporting different mobility flows, including the pedestrian ones, and in the meanwhile urban places in which different activities (commercial activities, meeting, and so on) take place. Grounding on that, the main reasons driving toward an organization of such spaces as urban networks have been outlined. Then, some guidelines and methodological elements, both for planning pedestrian networks and designing their elements taking into account the correspondence between foreseen uses and spatial features of each element, have been provided. Furthermore, the links between the pedestrian networks and the main junctions of other urban mobility networks, as well as between the first ones and the urban contexts have been stressed. Suggested guidelines and methodological elements have been applied and tested both on historical and suburban areas of the city of Naples; nevertheless they represent only a first step towards the setting up of a method for pedestrian networks planning and design in urban areas. Tema. Journal of Land Use, Mobility and Environment, Vol 2 (2009): Selected Papers 2009