Maurizio Tira

Managing mobility to save energy through parking planning

Energy saving is the most sustainable solution in the long run to achieve the 2020 goals and mobility is one of the highest energy-consuming activities in our towns. The way people move in the urban environment is manageable through several policies, strategies and actions. Parking management is an important strategy in most planning activities, those addressing land use management as well as traffic plans. Private parking lots (usually at the origin of trips) are planned with a minimum standard quantity in most countries, but there are some good examples where a maximum amount of parking is ruled by plans, in order to discourage residents from possessing too many cars! The availability of public parking places (at the destination of the trip) and their fees have a direct influence on modal choice and so on inter-modality, as the economic sustainability of private motorised mobility is also influenced by economic estimations. Several options in managing public parking regulations can influence mobility patterns, such as regarding location, parking fees and time-related policies. The paper proposes a methodology for the analysis of the space-time relations between public parking and individual travel choices. The methodology has been assessed in the case study of Brescia, in northern Italy. First of all, the location and the density of parking areas within the city have been mapped to show the spatial coverage of car parking supply. Then, the time variable has been considered, to illustrate the degree of use of each parking area during the day—thus showing modal choices and their variation in time and space. The results of the analysis can be extended to similar situations as the methodology has a broad application. The final goal of the research, rather than simply monitoring parking use, is to encourage sustainable mobility through the management of parking supply in urban areas and so to foster energy saving policies.

Analysing Space-Time Accessibility Towards the Implementation of the Light Rail System: The Case Study of Brescia

This paper proposes a methodology for investigation of the space–time relations of accessibility to public services and collective mobility. The paper assesses the space–time efficiency of local public transport facilities and makes an accessibility analysis as a baseline for evaluating future changes. It explains the potential for improvement and the effects on planning paradigms. Public transport accessibility greatly changes during day and night time so they should be assessed through multi-scaled and diachronic maps as a contribution to the timetable plan and overall planning strategies. The case study of Brescia, Italy is used to test the methodology. The new light rail system of Brescia entered into operation in 2013 and could change the entire form of urban mobility.

“Smart” Planning to Enhance Nonmotorised and Safe Mobility in Today’s Cities

The objective of “smart” planners is to improve the quality of life in today’s cities. That quality is not only a matter of land use, urban design and density, it is also largely linked to mobility patterns. Urban mobility should take place in comfortable and safe conditions for all users, satisfying people’s expectations (especially those of vulnerable users) and the right to move. The paper aims to merge safety and quality of public spaces as an inextricable scenario for a better quality of life in our cities. Past research developed on nonmotorised mobility will be reviewed, in order to address the topic of vulnerable users’ safety from a more comprehensive perspective. Designing streets to balance the needs of diverse users is proposed as the key to shape an enticing environment that ensures access, safety, comfort, and enjoyment for everyone.

INTENSSS PA: a systematic approach for INspiring Training ENergy-Spatial Socioeconomic Sustainability to Public Authorities

The INTENSSS PA project, funded by Horizon 2020, the Framework Programme for Research and Innovation of the European Union, aims to support the local authorities involved and their stakeholders to develop an innovative integrated sustainable energy planning concept through a participatory, interdisciplinary and multilevel process. By building individual and institutional capacity of the actors involved, using the Regional Living Lab approach, the concept will be applied in order to develop seven sustainable integrated energy plans. In this first article the project activities and the results achieved so far are preliminary described, anticipating a more extensive and detailed publication on the project planned for the December edition of UPLand – Journal of Urban Planning Landscape & Environmental Design.

For a territorial organization with variable geometry

Motivated primarily by the need to control public spending, law 56/14 Measures for metropolitan cities, provinces, unifications and mergers of communes , led to a new institutional architecture of the State, but also to non-negligible impacts on governing territories of a large area. It is obvious that regions, provinces and municipalities intersect in their spatial and demographic dimensions. However, when one wants to review a layout for general reasons, and — perhaps — for the sake of simplification, one cannot exempt it from an assessment of the geographical and demographic realities of the real Italian territories. Investigating territorial planning functions for the coordination of the Provinces is of crucial importance. The reform, for now incomplete, does not seem to have solved the historical weakness on the planning level for boundaries that are not yet well defined. The ability of new institutional architectures to grasp the dynamics of large areas remains to be proven.

Pedestrian Accessibility of Historical Centres: A Key Determinant of Development

Walking is being increasingly promoted as a sustainable solution for private mobility in urban areas, especially in historical centres. The key factors for pedestrian accessibility are limited physical distances, availability of dedicated infrastructure, behaviour of car drivers, and several other urban space qualities. Health care services are trying to save money by preventing diseases through the promotion of walking. In contrast, traders, retailers, and shopkeepers believe that car traffic is vital for the economical sustainability of their activities downtown where the number of residents has declined significantly. The purpose of this chapter is to assess the conditions for people to walk more and to foster the possible solutions for coaxing people to leave cars and increase their walking, especially to historical centres. What has been quite difficult to achieve so far could be reached through a coalition of interests, especially where the townscape has not been conceived for cars.

Diachronic Analysis of Parking Usage: The Case Study of Brescia

The paper proposes a methodology for the investigation of the space-time relations between public services and individual mobility, by checking the space-time efficiency of the allocation of public and private parking areas. The methodology has been applied to the case study of Brescia, in northern Italy. The spatial distribution of car parking has been assessed as well as the usage variations during the day. First of all, the location and the density of parking areas within the city has been taken into account, and represented to show the spatial coverage of car parking supply. Then, the temporal issue has been considered, since the degree of use of each parking area varies within the time of the day. Therefore, the degree of use of each parking area has been mapped at three significant instant of the day (10.00 a.m.; 01.00 p.m. and 04.00 p.m.). This kind of analysis is particularly helpful to highlight the availability of parking areas during the day. The results of the analysis, even if referred to a case study, can be extended to similar situations as the methodology of the analysis has a broaden sound meaning. The aim of the paper is to illustrate a method to develop mobility policies and plans.

SAFETY IN URBAN ENVIRONMENT AND EMERGENCY NOTICE BOARDS

Reliable and safe urban system conditions have to be a crucial goal of ordinary planning activities. Among planning goals, priority must be given to indications relating to the safety levels to be achieved and to the amount of resources to be directed towards reducing the vulnerability of urban systems and therefore of the measures to be taken. Uban vulnerability cannot in fact be reduced to the sum of the vulnerability of single buildings or to the physical vulnerability of its various components. This research work consists of identifying those urban sub‐areas that are important for safety in relation to natural risks, ambits that should be highlighted by means of permanent emergency notice boards/billboards. What are the hazard notices relating to all natural hazards and related risks? Where are they located? Are they clear and straightforward so that all residents and visitors are able to understand them, as it is already the case for road signs (or at least it should be)? What urban sub‐areas are wor...