Ecological planning strategies for a qualitative land take. Suggestions from France to Italian approach

This research starts from the awareness that land take is continuously spreading and increasing all over Europe. The topics of land take and its containment have also quickly entered into European policies and many European countries followed this path. Land take is often interpreted as a negative element as it subtracts important soil functions and, sometimes, spoils landscape. Urban and regional planning can play an important and leading role in contrasting land take, as they can address specific orientations for the realization of qualitative urban and landscape projects. One of the aims of this research is then to understand which planning policies are the most suitable in contrasting and containing land take. In order to do this, in a perspective of sustainable development, the chosen approach to planning is the ecological one (Steiner, 2002). Following this approach, the research focuses on the policies of Green Infrastructures (GI), intended as one of the most suitable and effective policies for land take containment. The study, starting from the analysis of 5 different European countries’ planning policies, tools and systems (France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy and the Netherlands), focuses on the countries of France and Italy. The two countries present a varied situation for what concern GI approach and planning policies even if they share some common elements (for example, the high presence of small municipalities and the institutional fragmentation). Since the choice has fallen on GI, the study aims at framing how these two countries are dealing with them by highlighting for each of them the pros and cons. In particular, the research focuses on the policies developed by two Regions: on one side the one of Rhône-Alpes in France (focusing on the two Métropoles of Lyon and Grenoble) and on the other side the one of Piedmont in Italy (in particular, the Metropolitan City of Turin). France represents a fascinating case study in the analysis of environmental and ecological policies; indeed, since the promulgation of Grenelle laws in 2009 and 2010 which stated the creation of Trames Vertes et Bleues (TVB), France has been laying great emphasis on these issues. This policy represents one of the greatest examples for what concerns GI. In fact, they are characterized by some important elements: they have to be included in planning tools of different scales (from the regional to the local one) and they include both green and blue infrastructures. French TVB allow also to develop a project approach of GI, while the Italian case study sets up itself as more methodological. In addition to ecological strategies, France has also always led an important process of inter-municipality, leading thus to a more coherent territorial project. The experiences led by Piedmont Region, principally developed at a local scale, present indeed a less rationalised policy even if the Metropolitan City of Turin has attempted to establish some specific orientations for the creation of a common GI methodology. Each local experimentation shows how these orientations have been interpreted in order to fit different territorial characteristics. The final aim is the individuation of some operational criteria for a qualitative planning. The main elements of discussion are the integration of GI into planning tools and the necessity to overcome administrative borders in order to promote a more coordinated and shared project of development. The research then opens the path to some other issues: the introduction of an adequate fiscal system, a more operative project action, territorial equalization and a performance-based planning instead of traditional zoning.