L’impiego degli automi cellulari per la costruzione di scenari di cambiamento dell’uso del suolo

The paper moves from the necessity of understanding the implications of landscape changes, as it is a very important issue for the sustainable planning of rural areas. The observation of the current decrease in rural landscape, which is mainly due to both abandonment and the uncon- trolled and rapid spreading of certain urban areas, espe- cially underlines the pressure on rural-urban fringes. The attention to these areas is increasing, as policy makers and institutions recognise their particular role in the balance of rural landscape and, as a consequence, the particular issues and requirements. The paper aims at the definition and testing of an integrat- ed system for the analysis and the evaluation of the effects of agricultural and urban policies on land use change and landscape, in order to supply policy makers and public ad- ministrators with an important tool for the decision mak- ing process.