title: Agricultural and green infrastructures: the role of non-urbanised areas for eco-sustainable planning in a metropolitan region.
abstract: Non-Urbanised Areas (NUAs) are part of agricultural and green infrastructures that provide ecosystem services. Their role is fundamental for the minimization of urban pollution and adaptation to climate change. Like all natural ecosystems, NUAs are endangered by urban sprawl. The regulation of sprawl is a key issue for land-use planning. We propose a land use suitability strategy model to orient Land Uses of NUAs, based on integration of Land Cover Analysis (LCA) and Fragmentation Analysis (FA). With LCA the percentage of evapotranspiring surface is defined for each land use. Dimensions and densities of NUAs patches are assessed in FA. The model has been developed with Geographical Information Systems, using an extensive set of geodatabases, including orthophotos, vectorial cartographies and field surveys. The case of the municipality of Mascalucia in Catania metropolitan area (Italy), characterized by a considerable urban sprawl, is presented.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Architettura e Urbanistica, Università di Catania, Viale A. Doria 6, 95125 Catania, Italy.
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: La Greca
authors.forename: Daniele
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: La Rosa
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Martinico
authors.forename: Riccardo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Privitera
mesh_terms: D000383:Agriculture / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002947:Cities / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D002958:City Planning / Q000379:methods*; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources / Q000379:methods*; D017753:Ecosystem; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D004787:Environmental Pollution / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D063245:Plant Development; D058438:Water Cycle