The global trend towards the growth of urban population poses the issue of the public space influence on outdoor practices of different subjects. Urban public space is the carrier of an ever-increasing number and density of users. Walking, both as a form of transportation and as a vector to physical activity and social interactions, emerges as a fundamental category of behaviour. The proposed research develops a theoretical and methodological framework for assessing walkability of the urban space. Building on concepts of capability and affordance, walkability is herein conceptualized in terms of the effect of affordances incorporated into the built environment on individuals’ propensity to walk for different purposes. The methodological framework aims to capture the characteristics of walkability across scales as the product of the intrinsic and extrinsic properties of an urban setting.

Vitality and Urbanity emerge as key goals of strategies for urban sustainable development as necessary prerequisites for varied and prosperous cities. Vitality and urbanity are characteristics that emerge from the diversity of urban public spaces activities and have an impact on a people's sense of place. The proposed research examines the built environment components that impact urbanity and vitality and develops an analytic method for quantifying the potential of urban form to promote urbanity and vitality. The research investigates four aspects: (i) the conceptualization of urbanity and vitality; (ii) the identification of factors affecting urbanity and vitality; (iii) the definition of indicators and protocols; (iv) the application of the proposed analytic method for measuring the vitality potential of the Metropolitan City of Cagliari (MCC), in Sardinia, Italy. This study underlines the relevance of combining space syntax and spatial analysis techniques in order to address four issues concerning sustainable urban development: quantitative description of urban-friendly conditions, identification of spatial manifestations of social and economic processes, understanding of criticalities, and formulation of policies and strategies for reinforcing vibrant urban spaces. Thus, the proposed analytic method contributes to the application of the Geodesign paradigm to the urban realm by supporting the understanding of the conditions affecting the vitality and urbanity of the built environment.

Octahedral Pt(IV) complexes (2Pt–R) containing a glycoconjugate carbene ligand were prepared and fully characterized. These complexes are structural analogues to the trigonal bipyramidal Pt(II) species (1Pt–R) recently described. Thus, an unprecedented direct comparison between the biological properties of Pt compounds with different oxidation states and almost indistinguishable structural features was performed. The stability profile of the novel Pt(IV) compounds in reference solvents was determined and compared to that of the analogous Pt(II) complexes. The uptake and antiproliferative activities of 2Pt–R and 1Pt–R were evaluated on the same panel of cell lines. DNA and protein binding properties were assessed using human serum albumin, the model protein hen egg white lysozyme, and double stranded DNA model systems by a variety of experimental techniques, including UV–vis absorption spectroscopy, fluorescence, circular dichroism, and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. Although the compounds present similar structures, their in-solution stability, cellular uptake, and DNA binding properties are diverse. These differences may represent the basis of their different cytotoxicity and biological activity.

New five-coordinate Pt(II) complexes containing a glycosylated carbene fragment were synthesized. A member of this class shows very high in vitro cytotoxicity and an exceptional selectivity toward malignant cells. The complex lacking the sugary portion fails in the recognition of cancer cells. The results support the use of glycosylation in the design of carbene Pt-based anticancer agents.