Methodology

Definition of a methodology for the detection, evaluation and mapping of ecosystem services provided by urban soils, aimed to quantify costs and impacts caused by soil consumption and soil sealing, both in urban and rural areas.

Tools

Definition of urban regulations and implementation tools, applicable at municipal level, aimed to ensure the balance of “no net land take” in newly urbanized areas and support the urban regeneration.

Interventions

Implementation of three de-sealing interventions as a compensation system model based on the exchange between urbanized surfaces and green space, to demonstrate both the technical and economical feasibility and transferability of the “framework on no net land take”.

Information system

Development of a local-scale Information System replicable at European level, for the monitoring and evaluation of land take and its impacts on the eco-system aimed to provide tools, methods and data to support policy-makers, favour technicians’ choices on territorial planning and improve the information transparency.

Adoption of new laws

Adoption of laws, rules and incentives at regional level to support the "no net land take" objective, ri-use or urban spaces and urban regeneration.

Promotion and replicability

Effective and large-scale promotion of knowledge and awareness about ecosystem services and the social and economic consequences of the processes of land take addressed to public authorities, businesses, schools, and citizenship and transfer of methodologies, procedures, tools and guided lines to other Italian and European policy-makers and local authorities.
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SOS4Life on Ecoscienza

SOS4Life to limit the consumption of soil The latest issue of Ecoscienza 2017, the bi-monthly magazine of Arpae Emilia-Romagna, was entirely dedicated to the challenges of sustainable development. SOS4Life contributed to the section dedicated to the theme “Urban regeneration and resilience, a new paradigm for cities and territories” with an article by Stefano Bazzocchi, Costanza […]

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European projects aimed to protect the soil

An international seminar on soil and ecosystem services held in Turin Improving management of green infrastructures to increase the benefits and services they provide, intelligent solutions for increasing the presence of natural elements in urban areas, management and enhancement of peri-urban green areas, mapping and assessment of ecosystem services in the Alpine area, including their […]

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Annual project meeting

The results of the first year of work of SOS4Life and the activities planned. The annual meeting of SOS4Life was held on Thursday 28 September; an opportunity for all members of the technical staff working on project activities to come together and share the overall state of progress of work and lay the foundations for […]

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The “People4soil” European Citizens’ Initiative signatures have been handed in

Italy and Ireland reached the quorum for collecting signatures for #People4soil. This success was however not enough to achieve the initiative’s objective, but it was an important result in any case – highlighting the problem of soil consumption and the need for a European Directive that finally regulates soil protection and land take. The 212,000 […]