Ecosystem Services Based Approach for Participatory Spatial Planning and Risk Management in a Multi-Level Governance System

The application of the Ecosystem Services (ES) concept in spatial planning can help improve the connection between land use patterns and the understanding of the functioning of settlement systems to improve risk prevention and management and contribute to enhanced human well-being. The Project LIFE SAM4CP Soil Administration Model 4 Community Profit aims at delivering by June 2018 new tools to improve planning, land management and use, including mapping and assessing ecosystem services generated by the land as tangible and intangible benefits for humans. The article aims to investigate how the government can deal with sustainable land use through new frameworks of cooperative urban and territorial planning involving all the different public actors. Then the paper will highlight how ES mapping tools and techniques can be used effectively in the decision-making processes associated with urban and regional programming and planning. The thesis is that the ecosystembased approach adopted by the Project can be helpful in assessing the possible environmental benefits of each planning option and thus facilitate risk prevention and management decisions through the direct involvement of citizens and a multi-level governance model. The Project consists in drawing up 4 urban plans (or their variants) based on the co-planning procedure provided for in the planning legislation of Piedmont (Italy). The pilot project concern the Municipality of Bruino followed by three subsequent Municipalities of the Metropolitan City of Turin (Settimo T.se, Chieri and None).