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The spatial mismatch between population growth and settlement expansion is at the base of current models of urban growth. Empirical evidence is increasingly required to inform planning measures promoting urban containment in the context of a stable (or declining) population. In these regards, per-capita indicators of land-use change can be adopted with the aim at evaluating long-term sustainability of urbanization processes. The present study assesses spatial variations in per-capita indicators of land-use change in Rome, Central Italy, at five years (1949, 1974, 1999, 2008, and 2016) with the final objective of quantifying the mismatch between urban expansion and population growth. Originally specialized in agricultural productions, Rome’s metropolitan area is a paradigmatic example of dispersed urban expansion in the Mediterranean basin. By considering multiple land-use dynamics, per-capita indicators of landscape change delineated three distinctive waves of growth corresponding with urbanization, suburbanization, and a more mixed stage with counter-urbanization and re-urbanization impulses. By reflecting different socioeconomic contexts on a local scale, urban fabric and forests were identified as the ‘winner’ classes, expanding homogeneously over time at the expense of cropland. Agricultural landscapes experienced a more heterogeneous trend with arable land and pastures declining systematically and more fragmented land classes (e.g., vineyards and olive groves) displaying stable (or slightly increasing) trends. The continuous reduction of per-capita surface area of cropland that’s supports a reduced production base, which is now insufficient to satisfy the rising demand for fresh food at the metropolitan scale, indicates the unsustainability of the current development in Rome and more generally in the whole Mediterranean basin, a region specialized traditionally in (proximity) agricultural productions.
Leonardo Bianchini; Gianluca Egidi; Ahmed Alhuseen; Adele Sateriano; Sirio Cividino; Matteo Clemente; Vito Imbrenda. Toward a Dualistic Growth? Population Increase and Land-Use Change in Rome, Italy. Land 2021, 10, 749 .
AMA StyleLeonardo Bianchini, Gianluca Egidi, Ahmed Alhuseen, Adele Sateriano, Sirio Cividino, Matteo Clemente, Vito Imbrenda. Toward a Dualistic Growth? Population Increase and Land-Use Change in Rome, Italy. Land. 2021; 10 (7):749.
Chicago/Turabian StyleLeonardo Bianchini; Gianluca Egidi; Ahmed Alhuseen; Adele Sateriano; Sirio Cividino; Matteo Clemente; Vito Imbrenda. 2021. "Toward a Dualistic Growth? Population Increase and Land-Use Change in Rome, Italy." Land 10, no. 7: 749.
Experiencing climate changes and increased human pressure, Mediterranean regions are considered representative hotspots of desertification. However, relatively few studies have been devoted to quantify the individual impact of different factors shaping land sensitivity to desertification in these contexts. Our study contributes to this deserving (positive and normative) issue with a diachronic analysis of the impact of multiple drivers of desertification risk on six indicators of land sensitivity based on the Environmentally Sensitive Area (ESA) approach. Indicators (average and maximum ESA score, coefficient of variation and normalized range in the ESA scores, share of ‘fragile’ and ‘critical’ areas in total landscape) were calculated in 777 rural districts of Italy at three time points (early-1960s, early-1990s, and early-2010s). Multivariate models were used to determine the impact of 12 predictors (climate, soil, vegetation, and land management quality) on each indicator of land sensitivity. Results of the analysis identified two non-redundant dimensions respectively associated with the average level of land sensitivity and its intrinsic variability across space. Impacts of climate and vegetation qualities on the level of land sensitivity were high, decreasing over time, and more intense respectively in Northern and Southern Italy. Impacts of soil and land management qualities were moderate, increasing over time, and involving almost all the country's area. Our study emphasizes the role of context-based measures promoting sustainable land management. The ‘local’ dimension proved to be crucial in any strategy of risk mitigation undertaken at disaggregated spatial scales.
Gianluca Egidi; Sirio Cividino; Enrico Paris; Adriano Palma; Luca Salvati; Pavel Cudlin. Assessing the impact of multiple drivers of land sensitivity to desertification in a Mediterranean country. Environmental Impact Assessment Review 2021, 89, 106594 .
AMA StyleGianluca Egidi, Sirio Cividino, Enrico Paris, Adriano Palma, Luca Salvati, Pavel Cudlin. Assessing the impact of multiple drivers of land sensitivity to desertification in a Mediterranean country. Environmental Impact Assessment Review. 2021; 89 ():106594.
Chicago/Turabian StyleGianluca Egidi; Sirio Cividino; Enrico Paris; Adriano Palma; Luca Salvati; Pavel Cudlin. 2021. "Assessing the impact of multiple drivers of land sensitivity to desertification in a Mediterranean country." Environmental Impact Assessment Review 89, no. : 106594.
Being largely diversified along the urban–rural gradient, fertility gaps have demonstrated to fuel metropolitan expansion, contributing to natural population growth and social change. In this direction, population dynamics and economic transformations have continuously shaped urban cycles in Europe. Assuming suburban fertility to be a relevant engine of metropolitan growth, the present study investigates and discusses the intrinsic relationship between fertility transitions and urban expansion, focusing on European metropolitan regions. An average crude birth rate referring to the last decade (2013–2018) was estimated from official statistics at 671 Functional Urban Areas (FUAs, Eurostat Urban Audit definition) of 30 European countries, distinguishing ‘central cities’ from ‘suburban’ locations. Local contexts with a higher crude birth rate as compared with neighboring settlements were identified analyzing differential fertility levels in urban and suburban locations. By providing an indirect, comparative verification of the ‘suburban fertility hypothesis’ in European cities, the results of this study demonstrate how suburbanization has been basically associated to younger and larger families—and thus higher fertility levels—only in Eastern and Southern Europe. Birth rates that were higher in suburbs than in central cities were observed in 70% of Eastern European cities and 55% of Mediterranean cities. The reverse pattern was observed in Western (20%), Northern (25%) and Central (30%) Europe, suggesting that urban cycles in the European continent are not completely phased: most of Western, Central, and Northern European cities are experiencing re-urbanization after a long suburbanization wave. Demographic indicators are demonstrated to comprehensively delineate settlement patterns and socioeconomic trends along urban–suburban–rural gradients, giving insights on the differential metropolitan cycles between (and within) countries.
Jesús Rodrigo-Comino; Gianluca Egidi; Adele Sateriano; Stefano Poponi; Enrico Mosconi; Antonio Gimenez Morera. Suburban Fertility and Metropolitan Cycles: Insights from European Cities. Sustainability 2021, 13, 2181 .
AMA StyleJesús Rodrigo-Comino, Gianluca Egidi, Adele Sateriano, Stefano Poponi, Enrico Mosconi, Antonio Gimenez Morera. Suburban Fertility and Metropolitan Cycles: Insights from European Cities. Sustainability. 2021; 13 (4):2181.
Chicago/Turabian StyleJesús Rodrigo-Comino; Gianluca Egidi; Adele Sateriano; Stefano Poponi; Enrico Mosconi; Antonio Gimenez Morera. 2021. "Suburban Fertility and Metropolitan Cycles: Insights from European Cities." Sustainability 13, no. 4: 2181.
Diachronic variations in demographic rates have frequently reflected social transformations and a (more or less evident) impact of sequential economic downturns. By assessing changes over time in Total Fertility Rate (TFR) at the regional scale in Italy, our study investigates the long-term transition (1952–2019) characteristic of Mediterranean fertility, showing a continuous decline of births since the late 1970s and marked disparities between high- and low-fertility regions along the latitude gradient. Together with a rapid decline in the country TFR, the spatiotemporal evolution of regional fertility in Italy—illustrated through an exploratory time series statistical approach—outlines the marked divide between (wealthier) Northern regions and (economically disadvantaged) Southern regions. Non-linear fertility trends and increasing spatial heterogeneity in more recent times indicate the role of individual behaviors leveraging a generalized decline in marriage and childbearing propensity. Assuming differential responses of regional fertility to changing socioeconomic contexts, these trends are more evident in Southern Italy than in Northern Italy. Reasons at the base of such fertility patterns were extensively discussed focusing—among others—on the distinctive contribution of internal and international migrations to regional fertility rates. Based on these findings, Southern Italy, an economically disadvantaged, peripheral region in Mediterranean Europe, is taken as a paradigmatic case of demographic shrinkage—whose causes and consequences can be generalized to wider contexts in (and outside) Europe.
Jesus Rodrigo-Comino; Gianluca Egidi; Luca Salvati; Giovanni Quaranta; Rosanna Salvia; Antonio Gimenez-Morera. High-to-Low (Regional) Fertility Transitions in a Peripheral European Country: The Contribution of Exploratory Time Series Analysis. Data 2021, 6, 19 .
AMA StyleJesus Rodrigo-Comino, Gianluca Egidi, Luca Salvati, Giovanni Quaranta, Rosanna Salvia, Antonio Gimenez-Morera. High-to-Low (Regional) Fertility Transitions in a Peripheral European Country: The Contribution of Exploratory Time Series Analysis. Data. 2021; 6 (2):19.
Chicago/Turabian StyleJesus Rodrigo-Comino; Gianluca Egidi; Luca Salvati; Giovanni Quaranta; Rosanna Salvia; Antonio Gimenez-Morera. 2021. "High-to-Low (Regional) Fertility Transitions in a Peripheral European Country: The Contribution of Exploratory Time Series Analysis." Data 6, no. 2: 19.
Soil loss and peri-urban settlement expansion are key issues in urban sustainability, with multi-disciplinary implications that go beyond individual ecological and socioeconomic dimensions. Our study illustrates an assessment framework diachronically evaluating urbanization-driven soil quality loss in a Southern European metropolitan region (Athens, Greece). We tested the assumption that urban growth is a process consuming high-quality soils in a selective way analyzing two spatial layers, a map illustrating the diachronic expansion of settlements at five time points (1948, 1975, 1990, 2000, and 2018), and a geo-database reporting basic soil properties. The empirical results showed that the urban expansion in the Athens region took place by consuming higher- quality soil in fertile, mostly flat, districts. It entailed a persistent soil quality decrease over time. This trend globally accelerated in recent years, but in a heterogeneous way. Actually, newly built, more compact areas expanded on soils with lower erosion risk than in the past. Besides, low-density land take is likely to be observed in soils with moderate-high or very-high qualities. These evidences reflect the need for a comprehensive evaluation of complex processes of land take informing spatial planning for metropolitan sustainability.
Samaneh Nickayin; Francesca Perrone; Barbara Ermini; Giovanni Quaranta; Rosanna Salvia; Filippo Gambella; Gianluca Egidi. Soil Quality and Peri-Urban Expansion of Cities: A Mediterranean Experience (Athens, Greece). Sustainability 2021, 13, 2042 .
AMA StyleSamaneh Nickayin, Francesca Perrone, Barbara Ermini, Giovanni Quaranta, Rosanna Salvia, Filippo Gambella, Gianluca Egidi. Soil Quality and Peri-Urban Expansion of Cities: A Mediterranean Experience (Athens, Greece). Sustainability. 2021; 13 (4):2042.
Chicago/Turabian StyleSamaneh Nickayin; Francesca Perrone; Barbara Ermini; Giovanni Quaranta; Rosanna Salvia; Filippo Gambella; Gianluca Egidi. 2021. "Soil Quality and Peri-Urban Expansion of Cities: A Mediterranean Experience (Athens, Greece)." Sustainability 13, no. 4: 2042.
Following an operational framework derived from earlier research, our study research estimates the specific contribution of biophysical and socioeconomic factors to soil sensitivity to degradation at two-time points (Early-1990s and Early-2010s) in Italy, a Mediterranean hotspot for desertification risk. A total of 34 variables associated (directly or, at least, indirectly) with different processes of soil degradation (erosion, salinization, sealing, contamination, and compaction) and climate change were considered here, delineating the predominant (underlying) cause (i.e., biophysical or socioeconomic). This set of variables represented the largest (quantitative) information available from national and international data sources including official statistics at both national and European scale. Contribution of biophysical and socioeconomic dimensions to soil sensitivity to degradation was heterogeneous in Italy, with the level of soil sensitivity to biophysical factors being the highest in less accessible, natural areas mostly located in hilly and mountainous districts. The highest level of soil sensitivity to socioeconomic drivers was instead observed in more accessible locations around large cities and flat rural districts with crop intensification and low (but increasing) population density. All these factors delineated an enlarged divide in environmental quality between (i) flat and upland districts, and between (ii) Northern and Southern Italian regions. These findings suggest the appropriateness of policy strategies protecting soils with a strong place-specific knowledge, i.e., based on permanent monitoring of local (biophysical and socioeconomic) conditions.
Filippo Gambella; Andrea Colantoni; Gianluca Egidi; Nathan Morrow; Marcela Prokopová; Luca Salvati; Antonio Giménez-Morera; Jesús Rodrigo-Comino. Uncovering the Role of Biophysical Factors and Socioeconomic Forces Shaping Soil Sensitivity to Degradation: Insights from Italy. Soil Systems 2021, 5, 11 .
AMA StyleFilippo Gambella, Andrea Colantoni, Gianluca Egidi, Nathan Morrow, Marcela Prokopová, Luca Salvati, Antonio Giménez-Morera, Jesús Rodrigo-Comino. Uncovering the Role of Biophysical Factors and Socioeconomic Forces Shaping Soil Sensitivity to Degradation: Insights from Italy. Soil Systems. 2021; 5 (1):11.
Chicago/Turabian StyleFilippo Gambella; Andrea Colantoni; Gianluca Egidi; Nathan Morrow; Marcela Prokopová; Luca Salvati; Antonio Giménez-Morera; Jesús Rodrigo-Comino. 2021. "Uncovering the Role of Biophysical Factors and Socioeconomic Forces Shaping Soil Sensitivity to Degradation: Insights from Italy." Soil Systems 5, no. 1: 11.
Urban growth is a largely debated issue in social science. Specific forms of metropolitan expansion—including sprawl—involve multiple and fascinating research dimensions, making mixed (quali-quantitative) analysis of this phenomenon particularly complex and challenging at the same time. Urban sprawl has attracting the attention of multidisciplinary studies defining nature, dynamics, and consequences that dispersed low-density settlements are having on biophysical and socioeconomic contexts worldwide. The present commentary provides a brief overview on nature and implications of the latent relationship between sprawl, demographic dynamics, and background socio-environmental contexts with special focus on Europe. Empirical evidence supports the idea that spatial planning should cope more effectively with the increasing environmental and socioeconomic exposure of European regions to sprawl and demographic transitions, being progressively far away from a traditional urban cycle with sequential waves of urbanization, suburbanization, counter-urbanization, and re-urbanization. Growing socio-ecological vulnerability of metropolitan regions was evaluated based on a literature review demonstrating how a better comprehension of the intimate linkage between long-term demographic dynamics and urban cycles is necessary to inform fine-tuned policies controlling sprawl and promoting a sustainable management of peri-urban land.
Daniela Smiraglia; Luca Salvati; Gianluca Egidi; Rosanna Salvia; Antonio Giménez-Morera; Rares Halbac-Cotoara-Zamfir. Toward a New Urban Cycle? A Closer Look to Sprawl, Demographic Transitions and the Environment in Europe. Land 2021, 10, 127 .
AMA StyleDaniela Smiraglia, Luca Salvati, Gianluca Egidi, Rosanna Salvia, Antonio Giménez-Morera, Rares Halbac-Cotoara-Zamfir. Toward a New Urban Cycle? A Closer Look to Sprawl, Demographic Transitions and the Environment in Europe. Land. 2021; 10 (2):127.
Chicago/Turabian StyleDaniela Smiraglia; Luca Salvati; Gianluca Egidi; Rosanna Salvia; Antonio Giménez-Morera; Rares Halbac-Cotoara-Zamfir. 2021. "Toward a New Urban Cycle? A Closer Look to Sprawl, Demographic Transitions and the Environment in Europe." Land 10, no. 2: 127.
Fertility is a spatially non-stationary property of regional demographic systems. Despite the wealth of quantitative (micro–macro) information delineating short-term population dynamics in advanced economies, the contribution of economic downturns to local fertility has still been under-investigated along urban–rural gradients, especially in low-fertility contexts. Recent studies have assumed suburban fertility rates as systematically higher than urban and rural fertility rates. This assumption (hereafter known as the “suburban fertility hypothesis”) has been grounded on stylized facts and spatial regularities in advanced economies that reflect a significant role of both macro (contextual) and micro (behavioral) factors that positively influence fertility in suburban locations. To test the suburban fertility hypothesis at the macro-scale, the present study compares gross fertility rates from seven regional units of the Athens metropolitan area between 1991 and 2018. A refined spatial analysis of gross fertility rates during an economic expansion (1999–2008) and recession (2009–2018) was carried out in 115 urban, suburban, and rural municipalities of the same area. Experiencing sequential waves of economic expansion and recession, Athens’ socio-demographic dynamics were considered a sort of “quasi-experiment” for Southern Europe, linking late suburbanization with the multiple impacts of (rapid) economic downturns. Compared with both urban and rural locations, a higher fertility rate in suburban municipalities (15–20 km away from downtown Athens) was observed during the study period. However, a subtle distinction was observed during the economic expansion versus the recession. In the first period, the highest birth rates were recorded in industrial locations west of Athens, hosting economically disadvantaged communities with a relatively young population structure. With the recession, the highest fertility was associated with residential and service-specialized (wealthier) locations east of Athens, attracting resident population from neighboring areas, and better responding to crisis. The results of our study document how recent urban expansion and economic downturns have intrinsically shaped fertility dynamics, with implications for urban sustainability and social cohesion of metropolitan regions.
Rares Halbac-Cotoara-Zamfir; Gianluca Egidi; Rosanna Salvia; Luca Salvati; Adele Sateriano; Antonio Gimenez-Morera. Recession, Local Fertility, and Urban Sustainability: Results of a Quasi-Experiment in Greece, 1991–2018. Sustainability 2021, 13, 1052 .
AMA StyleRares Halbac-Cotoara-Zamfir, Gianluca Egidi, Rosanna Salvia, Luca Salvati, Adele Sateriano, Antonio Gimenez-Morera. Recession, Local Fertility, and Urban Sustainability: Results of a Quasi-Experiment in Greece, 1991–2018. Sustainability. 2021; 13 (3):1052.
Chicago/Turabian StyleRares Halbac-Cotoara-Zamfir; Gianluca Egidi; Rosanna Salvia; Luca Salvati; Adele Sateriano; Antonio Gimenez-Morera. 2021. "Recession, Local Fertility, and Urban Sustainability: Results of a Quasi-Experiment in Greece, 1991–2018." Sustainability 13, no. 3: 1052.
The linkage between land-use change and demographic transitions in advanced countries has becoming increasingly complex because of the mutual interplay of environmental and socioeconomic spheres influencing the degree of sustainability of both regional and local developmental processes. The relationship between urbanization and economic development has been relatively well investigated by clarifying the consequent impacts on population dynamics. In the early phases of urbanization and economic development, population grew at a particularly high rate, declining (more or less rapidly) in the subsequent time interval. Improving income and education opportunities in urban settings resulted in further urbanization, leading to progressively lower fertility. At the same time, a more general view on the relationship between land-use change and demographic transition focusing on a broader spectrum of landscape processes (including farmland abandonment and forest expansion) at larger spatial scales (from regional to country and continental scale) is increasingly required. The present study provides an integrated view of the relationship between land-use change, urbanization, and demographic transitions with specific focus on Europe. Considering divergent processes of landscape transformations in a unified socioeconomic view may evidence the intimate linkage with recent population trends in both urban and rural areas.
Gianluca Egidi; Luca Salvati; Andrea Falcone; Giovanni Quaranta; Rosanna Salvia; Renata Vcelakova; Antonio Giménez-Morera. Re-Framing the Latent Nexus between Land-Use Change, Urbanization and Demographic Transitions in Advanced Economies. Sustainability 2021, 13, 533 .
AMA StyleGianluca Egidi, Luca Salvati, Andrea Falcone, Giovanni Quaranta, Rosanna Salvia, Renata Vcelakova, Antonio Giménez-Morera. Re-Framing the Latent Nexus between Land-Use Change, Urbanization and Demographic Transitions in Advanced Economies. Sustainability. 2021; 13 (2):533.
Chicago/Turabian StyleGianluca Egidi; Luca Salvati; Andrea Falcone; Giovanni Quaranta; Rosanna Salvia; Renata Vcelakova; Antonio Giménez-Morera. 2021. "Re-Framing the Latent Nexus between Land-Use Change, Urbanization and Demographic Transitions in Advanced Economies." Sustainability 13, no. 2: 533.
Density-dependent population growth is a powerful engine of metropolitan expansion. However, spatial heterogeneity in demographic dynamics of advanced economies makes identification of density-dependent mechanisms of population growth a particularly hard task. The intrinsic linkage between long-term population increase, settlement expansion, and economic growth was investigated in Southern Italy, a peripheral European region, with use of Geographically Weighted Regressions verifying (global and local) mechanisms of density-dependent population growth in 2500 municipalities between 1861 and 2019. At the global scale, results demonstrate that population growth rates increased with population density since 1951. At the local scale, this relationship was particularly evident in the largest metropolitan regions (Naples, Bari, Palermo, Cagliari) between 1951 and 1981, becoming more intense in coastal, rural districts between 1991 and 2019. These findings delineate the predominance of density-independent mechanisms of population growth up to World War II, in a context of high fertility and accelerated emigration rates from Southern Italy. A density-dependent population growth was observed since 1951, enlarging socioeconomic disparities and consolidating the urban hierarchy centred on few large cities. Taken together, these results evidence the intrinsic nexus between demographic dynamics and agglomeration/scale factors fuelling urban expansion and state-driven industrialization in Italy.
Gianluca Egidi; Giovanni Quaranta; Luca Salvati; Rosanna Salvia; Gimenez Morera Antonio. Investigating density-dependent patterns of population growth in Southern Italy, 1861–2019. Letters in Spatial and Resource Sciences 2021, 14, 11 -30.
AMA StyleGianluca Egidi, Giovanni Quaranta, Luca Salvati, Rosanna Salvia, Gimenez Morera Antonio. Investigating density-dependent patterns of population growth in Southern Italy, 1861–2019. Letters in Spatial and Resource Sciences. 2021; 14 (1):11-30.
Chicago/Turabian StyleGianluca Egidi; Giovanni Quaranta; Luca Salvati; Rosanna Salvia; Gimenez Morera Antonio. 2021. "Investigating density-dependent patterns of population growth in Southern Italy, 1861–2019." Letters in Spatial and Resource Sciences 14, no. 1: 11-30.
In a context of aging, low fertility, and progressive slowdown of both internal population mobility and international migration at working age, residential mobility at older ages was regarded as an emerging phenomenon in Mediterranean Europe, a region with increasingly attractive retirement places. The present work discusses the socioeconomic processes (and the environmental impacts) associated with an increasing flow of retirees, which decide to settle from ‘Northern’ countries to Southern Europe, concentrating in coastal districts and in rural countryside. Understanding lifestyle preferences and territorial patterns of residential mobility at older ages allows a refined analysis of short- and medium-term impacts of International Retirement Migration (IRM) on population dynamics in economically growing and declining regions. A refined analysis reveals that destinations of IRM are progressively enlarging from strictly coastal places to a broader set of locations in the rural countryside. Mobility choices among retirees may jeopardize the role of spatial planning, which is increasingly asked to provide specific services for an international, elder population, e.g., stimulating re-use of abandoned rural buildings. Taken as an effective option for rural development, an improved planning and management of local districts attracting and hosting intense flows of residential mobility at older ages is urgent in the present socioeconomic context. A convenient set of policies and a refined taxation system may contribute to reconcile demographic shrinkage with local competitiveness and social cohesion.
Gianluca Egidi; Giovanni Quaranta; Luca Salvati; Filippo Gambella; Enrico Maria Mosconi; Antonio Giménez Morera; Andrea Colantoni. Unraveling Causes and Consequences of International Retirement Migration to Coastal and Rural Areas in Mediterranean Europe. Land 2020, 9, 410 .
AMA StyleGianluca Egidi, Giovanni Quaranta, Luca Salvati, Filippo Gambella, Enrico Maria Mosconi, Antonio Giménez Morera, Andrea Colantoni. Unraveling Causes and Consequences of International Retirement Migration to Coastal and Rural Areas in Mediterranean Europe. Land. 2020; 9 (11):410.
Chicago/Turabian StyleGianluca Egidi; Giovanni Quaranta; Luca Salvati; Filippo Gambella; Enrico Maria Mosconi; Antonio Giménez Morera; Andrea Colantoni. 2020. "Unraveling Causes and Consequences of International Retirement Migration to Coastal and Rural Areas in Mediterranean Europe." Land 9, no. 11: 410.
Multifaceted demographic dynamics have shaped population growth in Mediterranean Europe, reflecting a metropolitan cycle from urbanization to re-urbanization. To assess the distinctive impact of economic downturns on population dynamics, the present study illustrates the results of an exploratory analysis that assesses urban expansion and rural decline at various temporal scales in Greece, a peripheral country in southeastern Europe. Statistical analysis based on multivariate exploratory techniques outlined the persistent increase of regional populations, evidencing the distinctive role of agglomeration/scale with urbanization and early suburbanization phases (1940–1980) and accessibility/amenities with late suburbanization and re-urbanization phases (1981–2019). Recession accompanied (and, in some way, consolidated) the decline of agglomeration economies, leading to counter-urbanization in some cases. As an indirect result of counter-urbanization, the population increased more rapidly in low-density coastal areas with moderate accessibility and tourism specialization. Consistently, settlement expansion has altered the persistent gap in central and peripheral locations. A polarized urban hierarchy centered on the capital city, Athens, was replaced with a more diffused growth of medium-sized cities and attractive rural locations, depicting a new development path for lagging countries in the European Union and other socioeconomic contexts worldwide.
Rosanna Salvia; Gianluca Egidi; Luca Salvati; Jesús Rodrigo Comino; Giovanni Quaranta. In-Between ‘Smart’ Urban Growth and ‘Sluggish’ Rural Development? Reframing Population Dynamics in Greece, 1940–2019. Sustainability 2020, 12, 6165 .
AMA StyleRosanna Salvia, Gianluca Egidi, Luca Salvati, Jesús Rodrigo Comino, Giovanni Quaranta. In-Between ‘Smart’ Urban Growth and ‘Sluggish’ Rural Development? Reframing Population Dynamics in Greece, 1940–2019. Sustainability. 2020; 12 (15):6165.
Chicago/Turabian StyleRosanna Salvia; Gianluca Egidi; Luca Salvati; Jesús Rodrigo Comino; Giovanni Quaranta. 2020. "In-Between ‘Smart’ Urban Growth and ‘Sluggish’ Rural Development? Reframing Population Dynamics in Greece, 1940–2019." Sustainability 12, no. 15: 6165.
Urban expansion results in socioeconomic transformations with relevant impacts for peri-urban soils, leading to environmental concerns about land degradation and increased desertification risk in ecologically fragile districts. Spatial planning can help achieve sustainable land-use patterns and identify alternative locations for settlements and infrastructure. However, it is sometimes unable to comprehend and manage complex processes in metropolitan developments, fueling unregulated and mainly dispersed urban expansion on land with less stringent building constraints. Using the Mediterranean cities of Barcelona and Rome as examples of intense urbanization and ecological fragility, the present study investigated whether land use planning in these cities is (directly or indirectly) oriented towards conservation of soil quality and mitigation of desertification risk. Empirical results obtained using composite, geo-referenced indices of soil quality (SQI) and sensitivity to land desertification (SDI), integrated with high-resolution land zoning maps, indicated that land devoted to natural and semi-natural uses has lower soil quality in both contexts. The highest values of SDI, indicating high sensitivity to desertification, were observed in fringe areas with medium-high population density and settlement expansion. These findings reveal processes of land take involving buildable soils, sometimes of high quality, and surrounding landscapes in both cities. Overall, the results in this study can help inform land use planers and policymakers for conservation of high-quality soils, especially under weak (or partial) regulatory constraints.
Gianluca Egidi; Ilaria Zambon; Ilaria Tombolin; Luca Salvati; Sirio Cividino; Samaneh Seifollahi-Aghmiuni; Zahra Kalantari. Unraveling Latent Aspects of Urban Expansion: Desertification Risk Reveals More. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 2020, 17, 4001 .
AMA StyleGianluca Egidi, Ilaria Zambon, Ilaria Tombolin, Luca Salvati, Sirio Cividino, Samaneh Seifollahi-Aghmiuni, Zahra Kalantari. Unraveling Latent Aspects of Urban Expansion: Desertification Risk Reveals More. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2020; 17 (11):4001.
Chicago/Turabian StyleGianluca Egidi; Ilaria Zambon; Ilaria Tombolin; Luca Salvati; Sirio Cividino; Samaneh Seifollahi-Aghmiuni; Zahra Kalantari. 2020. "Unraveling Latent Aspects of Urban Expansion: Desertification Risk Reveals More." International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 17, no. 11: 4001.
A complex interplay between socioeconomic transformations and demographic dynamics has characterized the long-term development of European countries. As a characteristic example of such linkage, the present study focuses on the spatial relationship between metropolitan growth and population age structure. Preferences for urban and suburban locations reflect complex socioeconomic phenomena such as sprawl, class segregation, gentrification and filtering. However, the spatial linkage between sprawl and demographic transitions was relatively poorly analyzed, and should be more extensively investigated in relation with population dynamics and socioeconomic structures at local scale. By reviewing pertinent literature, this study outlines how space exerts a non-neutral impact on population age structures in Europe, shaping housing needs and influencing settlement patterns and processes of urban transformation. While suburban locations have concentrated younger families and larger households in Northern and Western Europe, the socio-demographic composition of new settlements is increasingly dominated by older inhabitants in the Mediterranean region. Results of this work suggest how discontinuous urban expansion was specifically associated with an elder, wealthy population with high standard of living and a preference for specific housing locations such as detached villas with gardens and swimming pools.
Sirio Cividino; Gianluca Egidi; Luca Salvati. Unraveling the (Uneven) Linkage? A Reflection on Population Aging and Suburbanization in a Mediterranean Perspective. Sustainability 2020, 12, 4546 .
AMA StyleSirio Cividino, Gianluca Egidi, Luca Salvati. Unraveling the (Uneven) Linkage? A Reflection on Population Aging and Suburbanization in a Mediterranean Perspective. Sustainability. 2020; 12 (11):4546.
Chicago/Turabian StyleSirio Cividino; Gianluca Egidi; Luca Salvati. 2020. "Unraveling the (Uneven) Linkage? A Reflection on Population Aging and Suburbanization in a Mediterranean Perspective." Sustainability 12, no. 11: 4546.
Land degradation is perceived worldwide as a key process of resource depletion, representing a paradigmatic issue in national and supra-national political agendas for the 21st century in both advanced and emerging economies. Trying to delineate a ‘new lexicon of land degradation’, the present study contributes to a holistic thinking of driving forces in local communities and regional contexts through a refined analysis and discussion of (apparent and latent) factors of land degradation. Rethinking the importance of five notions (time, space, scale, systems, and response) having an intimate linkage with land degradation allows a refined understanding of socio-environmental dynamics and the most appropriate actions to combat (or mitigate) land resource depletion. The conclusions summarize the rationale proposed in this work, and provide a brief outlook on future research addressing land degradation, its drivers and consequences.
Gianluca Egidi; Luca Salvati; Pavel Cudlin; Rosanna Salvia; Manuela Romagnoli. A New ‘Lexicon’ of Land Degradation: Toward a Holistic Thinking for Complex Socioeconomic Issues. Sustainability 2020, 12, 4285 .
AMA StyleGianluca Egidi, Luca Salvati, Pavel Cudlin, Rosanna Salvia, Manuela Romagnoli. A New ‘Lexicon’ of Land Degradation: Toward a Holistic Thinking for Complex Socioeconomic Issues. Sustainability. 2020; 12 (10):4285.
Chicago/Turabian StyleGianluca Egidi; Luca Salvati; Pavel Cudlin; Rosanna Salvia; Manuela Romagnoli. 2020. "A New ‘Lexicon’ of Land Degradation: Toward a Holistic Thinking for Complex Socioeconomic Issues." Sustainability 12, no. 10: 4285.
A comparative investigation of population growth gives accurate information on urban transformations at local and regional scales. A comprehensive understanding of future trends in global urbanization may benefit from a long-term analysis of city size, a key variable influencing population growth. Taken as a dynamic feature of urban systems, the relationship between city size and population growth was investigated in 1857 agglomerations (> 300,000 inhabitants in 2014) of 155 countries across the globe between 1950 and 2030. Despite important regional differences, an inverse relationship between population growth and city size was observed up to the late 1990s. Slowdown of population growth during more recent decades and higher spatial heterogeneity in population trends may reflect a transition from high to low fertility, ageing and spatially diversified migration patterns. Present (and future) population trends in urban agglomerations (will) overlap only partly with those observed in the past, being more unpredictable over time and space. Analysis of changes in the relationship between city size and population growth definitely contributes in the debate about the future development of urban agglomerations worldwide.
Gianluca Egidi; Luca Salvati; Sabato Vinci. The long way to tipperary: City size and worldwide urban population trends, 1950–2030. Sustainable Cities and Society 2020, 60, 102148 .
AMA StyleGianluca Egidi, Luca Salvati, Sabato Vinci. The long way to tipperary: City size and worldwide urban population trends, 1950–2030. Sustainable Cities and Society. 2020; 60 ():102148.
Chicago/Turabian StyleGianluca Egidi; Luca Salvati; Sabato Vinci. 2020. "The long way to tipperary: City size and worldwide urban population trends, 1950–2030." Sustainable Cities and Society 60, no. : 102148.
While urbanization trends have been characterized for a long time by deconcentration of inner cities with expansion of low-density settlements, economic repolarization leading to re-urbanization and recovery of central districts are now counterbalancing population shrinkage in compact urban areas and slowing down suburban growth. In this context, the recent demographic evolution of a large metropolis such as Athens (Greece)—following expansion, crisis, and a more subtle economic recovery—may reveal original relationships between form and functions at the base of recent urban growth. Based on an exploratory analysis of demographic indicators on a metropolitan and urban scale, the present study provides an updated and integrated knowledge framework that confirms and integrates the most recent urban trends in southern Europe. Documenting the emergence of more individualized paths of urban expansion at the local scale (recovery of the historic center, shrinkage of semicentral neighborhoods, ‘reverse gentrification’ of disadvantaged peripheral areas, late suburbanization of accessible peripheral areas), results of the present study justify an ad hoc analysis of metropolitan growth based on demographic indicators as a proxy for sustainable land management and local development.
Rares Halbac-Cotoara-Zamfir; Gianluca Egidi; Enrico Maria Mosconi; Stefano Poponi; Ahmed Alhuseen; Luca Salvati. Uncovering Demographic Trends and Recent Urban Expansion in Metropolitan Regions: A Paradigmatic Case Study. Sustainability 2020, 12, 3937 .
AMA StyleRares Halbac-Cotoara-Zamfir, Gianluca Egidi, Enrico Maria Mosconi, Stefano Poponi, Ahmed Alhuseen, Luca Salvati. Uncovering Demographic Trends and Recent Urban Expansion in Metropolitan Regions: A Paradigmatic Case Study. Sustainability. 2020; 12 (9):3937.
Chicago/Turabian StyleRares Halbac-Cotoara-Zamfir; Gianluca Egidi; Enrico Maria Mosconi; Stefano Poponi; Ahmed Alhuseen; Luca Salvati. 2020. "Uncovering Demographic Trends and Recent Urban Expansion in Metropolitan Regions: A Paradigmatic Case Study." Sustainability 12, no. 9: 3937.
Although Southern Europe is relatively homogeneous in terms of settlement characteristics and urban dynamics, spatial heterogeneity in its population distribution is still high, and differences across regions outline specific demographic patterns that require in-depth investigation. In such contexts, density-dependent mechanisms of population growth are a key factor regulating socio-demographic dynamics at various spatial levels. Results of a spatio-temporal analysis of the distribution of the resident population in Greece contributes to identifying latent (density-dependent) processes of metropolitan growth over a sufficiently long time interval (1961-2011). Identification of density-dependent patterns of population growth contributes to the analysis of socioeconomic factors underlying demographic divides, possibly distinguishing between the effects of population concentration and dispersion. Population growth rates were non-linearly correlated with population density, highlighting a positive (or negative) impact of urban concentration on demographic growth when population is lower (or higher) than a fixed threshold (2800 and 1300 inhabitants/km2 in 1961 and 2011, respectively). In a context of low population density (less than 20 inhabitants/km2), the relationship between density and growth was again negative, contrasting with the positive and linear relationship observed in denser contexts. This result evidences a sort of ‘depopulation’ trap that leads to accelerated population decline under a defined density threshold. An improved understanding of density-dependent mechanisms of population growth and decline contributes to rethinking strategies of sustainable development and social policies more adapted to heterogeneous regional contexts.
Mariateresa Ciommi; Gianluca Egidi; Rosanna Salvia; Sirio Cividino; Kostas Rontos; Luca Salvati. Population Dynamics and Agglomeration Factors: A Non-Linear Threshold Estimation of Density Effects. Sustainability 2020, 12, 2257 .
AMA StyleMariateresa Ciommi, Gianluca Egidi, Rosanna Salvia, Sirio Cividino, Kostas Rontos, Luca Salvati. Population Dynamics and Agglomeration Factors: A Non-Linear Threshold Estimation of Density Effects. Sustainability. 2020; 12 (6):2257.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMariateresa Ciommi; Gianluca Egidi; Rosanna Salvia; Sirio Cividino; Kostas Rontos; Luca Salvati. 2020. "Population Dynamics and Agglomeration Factors: A Non-Linear Threshold Estimation of Density Effects." Sustainability 12, no. 6: 2257.
Mediterranean regions are likely to be the most vulnerable areas to wildfires in Europe. In this context, land-use change has promoted land abandonment and the consequent accumulation of biomass (fuel) in (progressively less managed) forests and (non-forest) natural land, causing higher fire density and severity, economic damage, and land degradation. The expansion of Wildland-Urban Interfaces (WUIs) further affects fire density by negatively impacting peri-urban farming and livestock density. Assuming the role of grazing in controlling fuel accumulation in forests and non-forest natural land as an indirect measure of wildfire containment around large Mediterranean cities, our work focuses on the role of nomadic livestock, i.e., sheep and goats—the most abundant and traditional farm species in the area. The present study (i) investigates the relationship between fire frequency/extent and livestock decline at the regional level in Greece, (ii) explores changes over time in regional wildfire regimes, comparing Attica, a particularly vulnerable peri-urban region which includes Athens (the Greek capital city), with the rest of the country, and (iii) quantifies trends over time in livestock characteristics (population structure and dynamics) over a sufficiently long time interval (1961–2017) at the same spatial scale, with the aim to document the progressive reduction of nomadic livestock in peri-urban districts. A comprehensive analysis of statistical data, corroborated with a literature review, outlined the relationship between livestock decline over time and changes in specific wildfire characteristics at the regional scale, evidencing peculiar environmental conditions in Attica. In this region, a rapid decline of nomadic livestock was observed compared to in the rest of Greece, leading to a higher wildfire risk. The results of this study suggest that nomadic livestock contributes to sustainable management of peri-urban land, stimulating grazing that may prevent fuel accumulation in fringe woodlands.
Andrea Colantoni; Gianluca Egidi; Giovanni Quaranta; Roberto D’Alessandro; Sabato Vinci; Rosario Turco; Luca Salvati. Sustainable Land Management, Wildfire Risk and the Role of Grazing in Mediterranean Urban-Rural Interfaces: A Regional Approach from Greece. Land 2020, 9, 21 .
AMA StyleAndrea Colantoni, Gianluca Egidi, Giovanni Quaranta, Roberto D’Alessandro, Sabato Vinci, Rosario Turco, Luca Salvati. Sustainable Land Management, Wildfire Risk and the Role of Grazing in Mediterranean Urban-Rural Interfaces: A Regional Approach from Greece. Land. 2020; 9 (1):21.
Chicago/Turabian StyleAndrea Colantoni; Gianluca Egidi; Giovanni Quaranta; Roberto D’Alessandro; Sabato Vinci; Rosario Turco; Luca Salvati. 2020. "Sustainable Land Management, Wildfire Risk and the Role of Grazing in Mediterranean Urban-Rural Interfaces: A Regional Approach from Greece." Land 9, no. 1: 21.
Urban sprawl is a complex phenomenon that requires a comprehensive reflection on the most significant patterns and underlying processes. While the “sprawl” notion parallels hegemonic concepts such as economic competitiveness, social cohesion, and polycentric development, an integrated analysis of sprawl patterns and processes in paradigmatic socioeconomic contexts is increasingly required to reconcile different disciplinary visions, contributing to a holistic interpretation of metropolitan change. At the same time, sprawl is an increasingly evident product of local socioeconomic contexts all over the world. A comprehensive investigation of multifaceted, form–function relationships underlying sprawl—based on a quali-quantitative analysis of representative cases—is a crucial pre-requisite of both monitoring and policy actions at multiple spatial scales, from urban/regional to national/continental levels. The present contribution proposes a contextualization of the sprawl notion in Southern Europe—a socioeconomic context characterized by compact and continuous urbanization for a long time. An integrated approach based on a visual analysis of urban and peri-urban landscapes—integrated with an extended literature survey—allows for a definition of a specific sprawl model in Southern Europe, sharing some features with the United States ideal type of sprawl and showing peculiarities with respect to common models of urban dispersion typical of Northern and Western Europe. Policies aimed at containing urban dispersion may definitely benefit from a local-based definition of sprawl, considering the specificity of form–function relationships and the underlying socioeconomic context.
Gianluca Egidi; Sirio Cividino; Sabato Vinci; Adele Sateriano; Rosanna Salvia. Towards Local Forms of Sprawl: A Brief Reflection on Mediterranean Urbanization. Sustainability 2020, 12, 582 .
AMA StyleGianluca Egidi, Sirio Cividino, Sabato Vinci, Adele Sateriano, Rosanna Salvia. Towards Local Forms of Sprawl: A Brief Reflection on Mediterranean Urbanization. Sustainability. 2020; 12 (2):582.
Chicago/Turabian StyleGianluca Egidi; Sirio Cividino; Sabato Vinci; Adele Sateriano; Rosanna Salvia. 2020. "Towards Local Forms of Sprawl: A Brief Reflection on Mediterranean Urbanization." Sustainability 12, no. 2: 582.