S_11 – RESEARCH AND STANDARDS FOR SUSTAINABLE SPATIAL PLANNING (R&S4SP)
Esposito Dario (Polytechinc University of Bari), Gueze Raffaella Francesca (Cord: Agende 21 locali italiane, Padova), Bretzel Francesca (National Research Council, Pisa), Tundo Antonella (National Agency for new Technology) and Capezzuto Pasquale (UNI international standardization Organization)
Increasingly, standardisation and scientific research are exchanging views and discussing issues within their respective practices and in research networks and consortia, thus establishing a constant and mutually supportive collaboration, albeit that structured opportunities for reflection which aim at sharing perspectives and building a coherent common vision are still lacking. The session is a unique opportunity for researchers interested in the topic or already working in both fields to discuss the potential for scientific advancement and the possibilities to strengthen the connection between standardisation, innovation and research.
In detail, the session aims at enhancing discussion among experts, fostering the spread of scientific research and results, investigating this two-way relationship for the specific purpose of supporting and improving sustainable land management, spatial planning and local governance. The explicit reference is the UNI ISO 371XX series of standards, which adopt an innovative, holistic and integrated approach to establish the requirements of a management system through policies, processes and procedures for the sustainable development of territories. Moreover, it attempts to facilitate the exchange of information between cities, enabling effective and coordinated initiatives within a national strategic framework.
Specifically, the standards provide structured references directed towards:
– proposing operational methods to guide local governments in achieving SDGs, triggering and enabling virtuous governance processes and tracking and monitoring their progress towards sustainable development;
– raising the awareness of the role of local communities for sustainable development and the activation of iterative processes of continuous improvement of their level of maturity, also through the management of decision-making processes with participatory approaches aimed at their empowerment;
– provide cross-cutting and transversal frameworks for the integrated and collaborative functioning of smart and resilient cities through: i) the definition of smart city operational models that integrate physical and digital planning, ii) the creation of action plans, the attribution of responsibilities and the measurement of performance towards sustainable development, iii) the evaluation of spatial transformations through objective qualitative-quantitative indicators and iv) the use of tools for communication and information on the achieved outcomes.
These aspects must be able to develop considerations, integrate requirements and direct choices for:
i) climate change mitigation,
ii) the promotion of ecosystem services,
iii) the identification of sustainable solutions for the energy crisis and
iv) a proper ecological transition.
To this end, multidisciplinary technical-scientific working groups are already active within the National Technical Commission UNI CT 058: Sustainable Cities, Communities and Infrastructures.
Keywords:
Sustainable land management; spatial planning; local governance; environmental management systems; smart city operational models; indicators for spatial transformations