Solar plants, environmental degradation and local socioeconomic contexts: A case study in a Mediterranean country

Delfanti, Lavinia M.P.; Colantoni, Andrea; Recanatesi, Fabio; Bencardino, Massimiliano; Sateriano, Adele; Zambon, Ilaria; Salvati, Luca

doi:10.1016/j.eiar.2016.07.003

Cited by 103 publications

(83 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…In these regards, our study clarifies the relationship between land use and the local context [26,52,53], identifying the variables most associated with cropland [54]. The significance of the empirical findings of this study for future land use decisions within the local context (considering current economic, political, and soil/climate trends) lies exactly in this issue.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 53%

Clustering or Scattering? The Spatial Distribution of Cropland in a Metropolitan Region, 1960–2010

et al. 2018

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This article presents empirical results of a multivariate analysis run with the aim to identify (apparent and latent) socioeconomic transformations that shape the distribution pattern of cropland in a metropolitan region of southern Europe (Athens, Greece) over a sufficiently long time interval spanning from 1960 to 2010. The study area is representative of monocentric cities expanding in an unregulated fashion and experiencing sequential cycles of economic growth and recession. Percent share of cropland in total municipal area increased moderately over time. A non-linear relationship with the distance from downtown Athens was also observed, indicating that the highest rates of cropland were observed at a distance ranging between 20 and 30 km from the inner city. A multivariate regression was run by decade at each municipality of the study area using 11 predictors with the aim to identify the factors most associated with cropland decline along urban fringes. Distance from downtown Athens, soil and climate quality, population growth rate, and competing land use were the most relevant factors correlated with cropland expansion (or decline) in the study area. Competing land use was particularly important for cropland decline in a first urbanization phase (1960–1980), while population growth rate—and hence an increased human pressure—was positively associated with agricultural areas in a subsequent phase (1990–2010). In these regards, per capita urban land had a non-linear spatial behavior, being correlated negatively with cropland in 1960 and 1970 and positively in 2010, possibly indicating a moderate change from a monocentric model towards a more dispersed metropolitan configuration impacting distribution of agricultural areas. Empirical findings of this study suggest that effective strategies supporting peri-urban agriculture require a comprehensive knowledge of the local socioeconomic context and relevant biophysical conditions—specifically focusing on the dominant soil and climate attributes.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 53%

Clustering or Scattering? The Spatial Distribution of Cropland in a Metropolitan Region, 1960–2010

et al. 2018

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“…This study argues that individual urban entities (municipalities) do not show a single evolutionary stage of urban development, experiencing instead a coexistence of suburbanization and re-urbanization waves, driven by a complex mix of socioeconomic forces [57]. While development strategies and land-use policies may have prominent impacts on land expansion, socioeconomic factors remain relevant forces shaping spatio-temporal variations in building activity [7,58,[62][63][64][65][66][67][68]. Furthermore, the work revealed a lack of clearness on building permits, since it is not possible to know the applicants or recipients of building permits available to link them to the debate on urban models or development.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Housing and the City: A Spatial Analysis of Residential Building Activity and the Socio-Demographic Background in a Mediterranean City, 1990–2017

2019

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Fluctuations in residential building activity are becoming progressively more intense over time and space in advanced economies and especially in Europe, fueling real estate market segmentation and making the performance of the construction industry increasingly unpredictable. If non-linear urbanization paths are the result of economic downturns consolidating progressively more volatile real estate markets, the present study investigates the impact of recent building cycles on long-term urban expansion in a Mediterranean city (Athens, Greece), using multiple clustering techniques run on a large set of building activity and socio-demographic indicators. Changes over time in building activity were evaluated considering 12 spatially-explicit indicators derived from the analysis of building permits released by Greek municipalities between 1990 and 2017. By referring to different analysis’ scales (macro-scale: settlements, meso-scale: buildings, micro-scale: dwellings), indicators allow a comprehensive investigation of multiple dimensions and characteristics of construction markets at four-time intervals of 7 years each (1990–1996, 1997–2003, 2004–2010, 2011–2017). Spatio-temporal variability in building activity was further investigated considering 12 contextual indicators assessing the basic socio-demographic attributes of local municipalities. Cluster analysis allows identification of distinctive, local-scale responses of real estate markets to economic cycles (expansion–stagnation–recession) in both short- and long-term horizons and relate them to the dominant socio-demographic context. Density of new buildings, average floors per new building, density of buildings’ additions and number of building permits per inhabitant were found to be the most sensitive indicators to economic downturns in the study area. Infrastructure-driven development, as a result of the 2004 Olympic Games, has produced relevant short-term alterations in residential construction markets, complicating urbanization trends at the local scale. Multi-scale indicators from building permit records provide a useful insight in the diachronic mechanisms of urban growth, with implications for regional planning and design of sustainable development practices.

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“…Recent urbanization processes in Mediterranean regions have played a critical role in Europe [10,71], creating urban and rural poles and promoting disparities along elevation gradients. In this regard, territorial disparities exerted an important impact on Mediterranean landscapes-which have recently become more fragmented thanks to discontinuous urbanization [12,18,24,25,62,67,[72][73][74][75][76][77][78]. This phenomenon caused more volatile demographic dynamics, new land-use structures, uneven changes in local housing markets, and social segregation [4,11,20,42,59,67,79].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Population Dynamics in Southern Europe: A Local-Scale Analysis, 1961–2011

et al. 2018

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Different socioeconomic, historical, political, and cultural factors have influenced long-term settlement patterns and demographic structures in Europe. Southern Europe is considered a relatively homogeneous region as far as settlement characteristics and population dynamics are concerned. Within-country local variability in the spatial distribution of population is high, and inherent differences across countries may outline distinct demographic patterns at regional scale. A comparative, local-scale analysis of population distribution in five countries (Spain, Italy, Croatia, Greece, and Cyprus) over a relatively long time period (1961–2011) contributes to identify latent demographic trends in Mediterranean Europe at the spatial scale of Local Administrative Units (LAU). A spatially-explicit analysis of basic indicators of population density and demographic change allows identification of territorial disparities, reflecting local-scale settlement patterns common to different countries (e.g., population growth along coastal districts). These patterns consolidate a metropolitan hierarchy centered on large—mainly compact—cities and more dispersed conurbations along coastal areas. At the same time, the examined countries present different territorial contexts resulting in distinct population dynamics in turn influenced by internal (e.g., national policies, culture and local identity, class segregation) and exogenous (e.g., economic cycle, urbanization models) factors. A spatially-explicit analysis of demographic trends at local scale may contribute to rethinking urban strategies and adapting spatial planning to heterogeneous socioeconomic contexts across Europe.

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Solar plants, environmental degradation and local socioeconomic contexts: A case study in a Mediterranean country

Cited by 103 publications

References 33 publications

Clustering or Scattering? The Spatial Distribution of Cropland in a Metropolitan Region, 1960–2010

Clustering or Scattering? The Spatial Distribution of Cropland in a Metropolitan Region, 1960–2010

Housing and the City: A Spatial Analysis of Residential Building Activity and the Socio-Demographic Background in a Mediterranean City, 1990–2017

Population Dynamics in Southern Europe: A Local-Scale Analysis, 1961–2011

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