Peri-urban open spaces and sustainable urban development between value and consumption

Current rates in population growth and urbanization are threatening sustainability. Increasing soil consumption and dwellings with inadequate characteristics have to be counteracted, in order to ensure well-being of present and future populations. Urban planning is currently characterized by an approach based on standards and restrictions, and, as such, it is unable to cope with the above problems. An Ecosystem Service (ES) approach can be valuable both in assessing current quality of life in urban settlements and in planning for their improvement. Green open spaces and relationships between urban, peri-urban and rural areas are very important in the provision of Ecosystem Services (ESs) to built-up areas. While many Authors focus on approaches able to provide a monetary value for ES, others are more interested in how to operationalize ES use in planning, without having to assess their monetary value. The Authors propose an AMC-GIS integrated approach aiming to improve planning by providing a three-dimensional spatial analysis of productive, protective and cultural-recreational ESs based on the integration of the three RGB channels. Resulting maps provide a spatial illustration of the mix of the three ES categories. The model has been tested on some areas in Tuscany (Italy). Results show that this approach may represent an innovative tool both for urban planning and design and for monitoring and correcting urban projects that are already underway.