Land Consumption Dynamics and Urban–Rural Continuum Mapping in Italy for SDG 11.3.1 Indicator Assessment

Angela Cimini, Paolo De Fioravante (), Nicola Riitano, Pasquale Dichicco, Annagrazia Calò, Giuseppe Scarascia Mugnozza, Marco Marchetti and Michele Munafò
Additional contact information
Angela Cimini: Department of Architecture and Project, University of Rome La Sapienza, Piazza Borghese 9, 00186 Roma, Italy
Paolo De Fioravante: Italian Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA), Department of Networks and Environmental Information Systems (SINA), Via Vitaliano Brancati 48, 00144 Rome, Italy
Nicola Riitano: Italian Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA), Department for the Geological Survey of Italy, Via Vitaliano Brancati 48, 00144 Rome, Italy
Pasquale Dichicco: Italian Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA), Department of Networks and Environmental Information Systems (SINA), Via Vitaliano Brancati 48, 00144 Rome, Italy
Annagrazia Calò: Italian Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA), Department of Networks and Environmental Information Systems (SINA), Via Vitaliano Brancati 48, 00144 Rome, Italy
Giuseppe Scarascia Mugnozza: Department for innovation in Biological, Agro-Food and Forest Systems, University of Tuscia, Via S. Camillo de Lellis, 01100 Viterbo, Italy
Marco Marchetti: Dipartimento di Bioscienze e Territorio, Università degli Studi del Molise, C/da Fonte Lappone, 86090 Pesche, Italy
Michele Munafò: Italian Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA), Department of Networks and Environmental Information Systems (SINA), Via Vitaliano Brancati 48, 00144 Rome, Italy

Land, 2023, vol. 12, issue 1, 1-24

Abstract: For the first time in human history, over half of the world’s population lives in urban areas. This rapid growth makes cities more vulnerable, increasing the need to monitor urban dynamics and its sustainability. The aim of this work is to examine the spatial extent of urban areas, to identify the urban–rural continuum, to understand urbanization processes, and to monitor Sustainable Development Goal 11. In this paper, we apply the methodology developed by the European Commission-Joint Research Center for the classification of the degree of urbanization of the Italian territory, using the ISPRA land consumption map and the ISTAT population data. The analysis shows that the availability of detailed and updated spatialized population data is essential to calculate SDG indicator 11.3.1, which assesses the ratio of land consumption rate to population growth rate. Three new indicators are also proposed to describe the main trends in urban sprawl, analyzing the spatial distribution of land consumption in terms of infill and settlement dispersion. The research shows good results in identifying class boundaries and describing the Italian urbanized landscape, highlighting the need for more detailed spatialized demographic data. The classification obtained lends itself to a variety of applications, such as monitoring land consumption, settlement dynamics, or the urban heat islands, and assessing the presence and state of green infrastructures in the urban context, driving the development of policies in urban areas toward sustainable choices focused on urban regeneration.

Keywords: urban–rural continuum; land consumption; land use efficiency; SDG; urban expansions; population dynamics (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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