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Contemporary cities have to deal with numerous challenges, from the growth and aging of urban populations to the scarcity of resources; from environmental degradation to climate change. The latter, also due to the increasing severity of climate-related impacts on urban areas, is widely considered one of the most urgent challenges for urban development in the near future: cities are the main contributors to energy consumption and GHG emissions, paying, at the same time, the highest price for the climate impacts. Thus, climate issues have gained increasing importance in the last decades, both in terms of the metaphors coined by scholars relative to urban future (low-carbon cities, transition cities, smart cities, resilient cities, etc.) and in terms of the initiatives undertaken on different institutional levels. Unfortunately, mitigation and adaptation are generally regarded as two different approaches, neglecting the potential synergies and trade-offs between the related strategies. Hence, based on the growing awareness of the need for mainstreaming mitigation and adaptation policies at city level, this study will provide an overview of the state of the art of the mitigation and adaptation initiatives in Italian metropolitan cities. Then, focusing on the concepts of the “smart” and the “resilient” city – recognized as key concepts for reducing CO2 emissions and improving the ability of cities to respond to climate impacts – and with reference to a conceptual framework for building up a smart and resilient urban system carried out in previous research works (Papa et al., 2015), the study will examine case studies of the cities of Rotterdam and Barcelona, highlighting how this framework may improve our understanding and, above all, contribute to better integration of the fragmented on-going strategies and initiatives. Tema. Journal of Land Use, Mobility and Environment, 2015: ECCA 2015 - Smart and Resilient Cities. Ideas and Practices from the South of Europe

Adaptation plans are the result of a political decision based on the awareness that climate change has altered environmental conditions and action is therefore needed in order to return to, maintain or achieve the desired outcome. A crucial role in defining adaptation actions is played by the use of resources, in particular of non-renewable resources such as soil. This paper, rooted on the reading of a sample of recent Italian and European adaptation plans, seeks to investigate the existence of environmental actions aimed at guaranteeing a sustainable use of natural and non-natural soil, in order to reduce the consumption of non-anthropized soil and also contribute to containing the effects of climate change. The paper is divided into three sections: the first one describes the methodology employed; the second one focuses on the most up-to- date plans regarding the effects of climate change in some urban systems; the third one proposes hints for further reflections and useful recommendations to local decision-makers in the development of tailor-made adaptation actions aimed at guaranteeing an efficient use of both natural and anthropized soil. The reading of the plans has exposed that soil consumption is not among the factors that need direct action to reduce the vulnerability of urban systems to current climate change, but rather it is a phenomenon that can be contained by increasing green areas and/or infrastructures and encouraging agricultural and environmental regeneration. The attention seems to be drawn to not yet sealed soil, thus leaving out the already anthropized one that, as such, would require, instead, greater adaptation efforts. Tema. Journal of Land Use, Mobility and Environment, Vol 11, N° 1 (2018): The Resilience City/The Fragile City. Methods, tools and best practices

Low carbon transition represents one of the main challenges engaging territorial governments in a multi-scale structure of planning and actions. The thematic focus on renewable energies sources (RES) development prevailed on an integrated approach to plan such relevant process in a more integrated and systemic view based on multiple territorial values estimation and the assessment of potential conflicts depending on technological and landscape impacts RES transition implies extensive territorial transformations and, in the case of Italy, the public management spent more effort in targeting RES installation objectives more than proposing a territorial plan of suitable area where such a process might be development preserving local territorial structure and values. This paper presents the results of an ex-post analysis carried out to assess the effects of the rapid advent of renewable energy plants in a specific territorial context: Melfi area in Basilicata (Italy). Such a context is characterized by agricultural vocation and high natural values, but also representing the settlement place of the biggest industrial automotive center in the south of Italy. The research approach is based on ecosystem services assessment through selected INVEST tools according with the presence of relevant specific features in the investigation area: carbon stock and storage, crop production, crop pollination and habitat quality. Results allow to quantify an extensive territorial impacts generated by photovoltaics plants and wind-farms compared with production potential. Consequently policy recommendation are proposed in order to improve the governance model for future development of the sustainable energy sector in Basilicata. TeMA - Journal of Land Use, Mobility and Environment, Vol 12 No 2 (2019): The Times They Are a-Changin'

Starting from the relationship between urban planning and mobility management, TeMA has gradually expanded the view of the covered topics, always remaining in the groove of rigorous scientific in-depth analysis. This section of the Journal, Review Notes, is the expression of continuously updating emerging topics concerning relationships between urban planning, mobility and environment, through a collection of short scientific papers written by young researchers. The Review Notes are made of four parts. Each section examines a specific aspect of the broader information storage within the main interests of TeMA Journal. In particular, the Urban Practices section aims at producing, analyzing and reporting data on recent and relevant policies in the urban domain. This contribution aims at delving into the Energy Community paradigm and its application into the Italian context. The concept of energy communities has gained significant attention and recognition in both the European and Italian contexts. These communities are based on the idea of decentralizing energy production and fostering local participation in the transition to renewable energy sources. Since only recently the legislative panorama provided a set of limits and opportunities to the implementation of energy communities, this note is dedicated to some of the most interesting spontaneous experiences recently born in Italy, to highlight their strengths and weaknesses. TeMA - Journal of Land Use, Mobility and Environment, Vol 16 No 2 (2023): The city challenges and external agents. Methods, tools and best practices

Tema. Journal of Land Use, Mobility and Environment, Vol 9, N° 2 (2016): Planning for livable and safe cities: Energy, pollution and the degradation of the urban environment

The Distributed Energy Resource (DER) systems represent a possible option for the implementation of the Low Carbon Cities development scenario, consistently with EU orientations. Many surveys, especially of engineering and information technology origin, are contributing to DER systems spread through testing the Virtual Power Plan (VVP): a technological system aimed at synchronously managing the information and energy fluxes, and able to have an effect on the urban metabolism balance and on the energy chain organizational model. In the event of a wider VVP spread, consequences for the urban structure social and technical conversion process might be envisioned. Such systems gain importance in terms of starting urban renewal processes, introducing new rules for the local energy and environmental infrastructures. In this way, it is envisioned the need for a deeper comprehension of the VVP innovative functionalities, this comprehension being significant for all the branches of knowledge which are interested in developing methods and tools for the Environmental Technology Management and Planning of the settlement processes. The author, who is interested in producing and organizing an energy, distributed, renewable and interactive model, shows, through a critical analysis of the Electricity Networks Europe program study cases, the operating potential of the new system, emphasizing the consequences on the settlement process development, thus providing a first definition of the strategic features for the VVP technical and social implementation. Tema. Journal of Land Use, Mobility and Environment, 2014: INPUT 2014 - Smart City: planning for energy, transportation and sustainability of the urban system

It is well known that extreme heat waves or weather events combined with the increased soil consumption and sealing processes are significantly affecting urban systems especially the most exposed and vulnerable. These urban challenges call for specific mitigation and adaptation actions; soil de-sealing (i.e., the removal of the impermeable surfaces for the purpose of increasing green areas and restoring soil ecosystem functions) may be one of the possible solutions. However, this urban practice, to have meaningful outcomes, would need widespread and systematic application in urban areas that can be pursued only if supported by innovative programming and planning tools based on the construction of in-depth knowledge frameworks on the permeability and vulnerability of urban soils. In this regard, the paper aims to outline a methodological approach, supported by GIS technology, to map in detail urban public soils and identify priority areas to be depaved. In particular, the method assesses the permeability of public land in relation to hydraulic and heat island hazard exposure of potentially vulnerable urban systems. The methodological approach is applied on a pilot case in the city of Parma to verify its potential and criticalities, with the final objective of creating a replicable procedure. TeMA - Journal of Land Use, Mobility and Environment, Vol 16 No 1 (2023): The city challenges and external agents. Methods, tools and best practices

On a worldwide scale, cities and regions must tackle the challenges set by the radical change in our society and in our economy, aiming to develop effective public policies and boost their managerial, evaluation and planning skills. Anyway, it is essential to put a new idea of city at the centre of the smart strategies in order to bring policies back to their former central position, since technologies alone cannot generate welfare and prosperity. Local leadership, integrated planning and a rich social fabric go hand in hand, the social capital being able to produce an added value for the cities. We are exactly in a new phase of urban growth centred on the economy of services characterized by widespread digital technologies and new innovative organization patterns, which encourage the participation in the civic policy processes through the realization of structures to share information and data so as to define intervention policies. The most recent studies and trials about innovation and competitiveness, such as the examples illustrated in the present work (Amsterdam, Paredes, Aarhus and Gent) show a growing interest in measuring the relationship between innovation and economic growth at various territorial levels, key factors in conceiving inclusive smart strategies, linked to principles of sustainability and territorial cohesion, and building smarter cities. In the light of these remarks, the article is divided into three parts: the first part is focussed on the above-mentioned central issues of the international debate; the second part examines four significant European initiatives; the third part draws preliminary conclusions and directions for further research. Tema. Journal of Land Use, Mobility and Environment, Vol 6, N° 1 (2013): Smart Cities: Researches, Projects and Good Practices for the City