Biotope Area Factor: An Ecological Urban Index to Geovisualize Soil Sealing in Padua, Italy

Francesca Peroni, Guglielmo Pristeri, Daniele Codato, Salvatore Eugenio Pappalardo and Massimo De Marchi
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Francesca Peroni: Department of Historical and Geographic Sciences and the Ancient World—DiSSGeA, University of Padova, 35141 Padova, Italy
Guglielmo Pristeri: Department of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering, University of Padova, 35131 Padova, Italy
Daniele Codato: Department of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering, University of Padova, 35131 Padova, Italy
Salvatore Eugenio Pappalardo: Department of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering, University of Padova, 35131 Padova, Italy
Massimo De Marchi: Department of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering, University of Padova, 35131 Padova, Italy

Sustainability, 2019, vol. 12, issue 1, 1-17

Abstract: Over the last few years, soil sealing has been recognized as one of the major threats in terms of soil degradation and loss of ecosystem services. Although many efforts have been promoted to increase the awareness of safeguarding soil for stakeholders, its value as a non-renewable resource as well as soil-related services in urban ecosystems is not implemented enough in urban planning and policies. Due to the spatially explicit component and the geographical scale of soil sealing, mapping and quantifying the number of sealed surfaces is crucial. The aim of this paper was to estimate and geovisualize the soil sealed in the city of Padua (Italy) at a very detailed scale, testing the use of the Biotope Area Factor (BAF) index. Moreover, the paper aimed to simulate an alternative mitigation scenario in a specific study area of the city. Spatial analysis was performed testing the BAF index in a Geographic Information Sistem (GIS) environment and using aerial ortho-photos at very high resolution. The results show different values of the BAF index for all four neighborhoods from 0.35 to 0.69. In the mitigation scenario, the value of the BAF index was improved using a measure of green roofs. In conclusion, the paper provides an insightful case study for enriching the debate about soil sealing and gives scientific support for sustainable urban planning.

Keywords: soil sealing; BAF index; mitigation measures; soil protection; urban planning; geovisualization (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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