Associated Benthic Fauna to the Vermetid Reefs along the Mediterranean Spanish Coast

The aim of this study was to investigate the benthic fauna associated to nearshore vermetid reefs. Sampling was conducted along the Mediterranean coast of Spain, in three different areas, using scraping techniques, to characterize the taxonomic assemblage living among and inside the Dendropoma empty shells. The results showed high abundance and very low taxa diversity

Changes in walkability in three urban neighborhoods of the city of Rome. A comparison 2009-2019

Introduction - Scientific evidence stresses that more walkable neighborhoods are linked to increased physical activity. Walking Suitability Index of the territory (T-WSI) is an easy method, already validated, to evaluate the walkability on the basis of direct observation. Aim of the study is to compare the walkability indices obtained in three urban neighborhoods of the city of Rome in 2009 and 2019, to evaluate whether the urban redevelopment interventions, performed in the decade, do really promote walkability. Methods - An audit, through T-WSI, is carried out for each street of a neighborhood. T-WSI audit evaluates 12 indicators subdivided into 4 categories: practicability, safety, urbanity, pleasurableness. The weighted analysis of these indicators gives an overall score of the actual usability of the neighborhood. In this study, 2 different trained surveyors, evaluated T-WSI in three neighborhoods of Rome (San Saba, Sacco Pastore and Tufello-Val Melaina), which differ in socio-economic conditions. Average scores have been compared using t-student. Results - A considerable improvement was observed in the Sacco Pastore neighborhood final weighted scores (T-WSI scores: from 53.6 in 2009 to 68.3 in 2019, with an increase of 14.7% (p < 0.005). All categories improved, although Safety (T-WSI scores: from 35.0 to 59.3; increase of 24.3% - p < 0.005) and Pleasurableness (T-WSI scores: from 48.5 to 61.4; increase of 12.9% - p < 0.005) show the greatest improvements. It is mainly due to redevelopment works carried out in the neighborhood in the last 10 years, mainly aimed to increase citizen's perceived safety (e.g. signs, crossing protection devices, traffic lights, greenery management) and to remove architectural barriers. Conclusions - The results show T-WSI is a useful tool in order to measure the effectiveness of the interventions already realized at local level, but it could also contribute to making decisions to develop regeneration projects for degraded areas of the cities

Reliability of T-WSI to evaluate neighborhoods walkability and its changes over time

More walkable neighborhoods are linked to increased physical activity. The Walking Suitability Index of the territory (T-WSI) is an easy method to evaluate walkability on the basis of direct observation. T-WSI provides 12 indicators divided into 4 categories (practicability, safety, urbanity, pleasantness); the weighted analysis of these indicators gives an overall score of the actual usability of the neighborhood. The aim of the study is to evaluate the ability of T-WSI’ indicators to measure, in a reliable way, any street’s walkability variations occurred over time. The investigation was performed in 2018 in nine urban neighborhoods of Rieti city. Cronbach’s α is used to evaluate internal consistency of T-WSI; Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC) is used to evaluate the reproducibility of measurements (or ratings) made by different investigators. Cronbach’s α is 0.89 (± 0.02); ICC is also good (ICC = 0.89; 95% CI: 0.84–0.92). The results of the 2018 investigation are also compared with those collected in 2016 in the same districts. The results show that T-WSI is a reliable and easy to use tool, useful to measure the effectiveness of the interventions already realized at local level, but it could also contribute to making decisions to develop regeneration projects

A non-local p-Kirchhoff critical problem without the Ambrosetti-Rabinowitz condition

In this paper, we study the existence of solutions for a non-local quasi-linear partial differential equation with a critical power in the sense of the Sobolev exponent on the right-hand side plus a subcritical perturbation. After analyzing the levels where we can recover the Cerami condition, we establish some existence results without requiring the Ambrosetti-Rabinowitz condition on the subcritical term. This paper investigates the case where the dimension N of the Euclidean space satisfies ps2ps was analyzed

Hygienic and sanitary standards of housing in Europe: a comparative analysis of nine countries

In recent years, growing interest was devoted to housing conditions from both scientific community and public health, so they are now considered among the main environmental and social health determinants of health of the population. Aim of the study is to analyze and compare the current regulations regarding housing sanitary requirements in different Countries of the EU (Sweden, United Kingdom, Denmark, the Netherlands, France, Germany, Portugal, Spain) with the contents of the Italian Health Ministerial Decree 5th July 1975. From the websites of the official channels of the various countries the regulations have been downloaded. For the comparison, only the aspects of BCs concerning the scale of the building were examined; the comparison concerned all the requirements of the Health Ministerial Decree of 5.07.1975 and some other parameters (e.g. indoor chemical pollution, ionizing radiation, non-ionizing radiation) not provided for in the Ministerial Decree, treated in the other standards regulations, and relevant for the indoor well-being of the occupants. The authors observe a wide variability in the contents and in the formulation of the hygienic-sanitary requirements among the different Building Codes, above all as regards the dimensional data and some fundamental themes (e.g. heating systems, mechanical ventilation) whose treatment is often not it is updated with respect to the technological-scientific innovation consolidated over the past few years. A diverse approach among European Countries is also observed: from a market-oriented logic (e.g. UK), to a prescriptive one (Italy), to a functionality-oriented (the Netherlands). The comparative analysis we carried out made it possible to identify convergences and divergences in the standards analysed for the different European countries. As far as the Italian legislation on the usability of residential premises, finally, considering the health, social, environmental and economic trends, many standards contained in the MD 5th July 1975 should be reviewed and updated

Reducing plastic pollution by recovery and recycling: evidence from a ‘Blue Economy’ project impacting policy-making in Italy

: This paper recognizes the relevance of the Seabed Cleaning Project, created by the Angelo Vassallo Sindaco Pescatore Foundation in 2010, and presents it as a tool to achieve benefits in environmental, social, and economic terms, in line with the innovative framework of the Blue Economy. The project suggests a practical, feasible, and scalable solution to plastic pollution that can be obtained thanks to the activity performed by fishermen in cooperation with the municipality and local community (in a multi-level cooperation perspective). The data show a significant reduction of plastic on the seafloor thanks to the project, but further research is needed in order to collect further positive outcomes from different applications of the project. In 2022, the "Salva Mare" Law was approved in the Senate, extending the good practices proposed by the Foundation nationwide and showing how small gestures and concrete actions can provide significant improvements in pursuit of a healthier, safer, greener, and smarter city for the future

Understanding the complexities of Building-Integrated Agriculture. Can food shape the future built environment?

Our food system is facing an unprecedented challenge: feeding a fast growing population without depleting precious resources like energy, soil, and water.Furthermore, the increasing urbanization has rapidly exacerbated the gap between farm to plate, leaving cities vulnerable to changes in the production and supply chain, as demonstrated by recent pandemics and wars. In this context, emerging technologies that allow plants to grow in absence of soil, permit to produce food in high densely built-up areas, bringing food production right were most consumers live. These initiatives enter within the so called Building-Integrated Agriculture (BIA), which is referred as the practice of locating greenhouses and soilless plant cultivation technologies on top and inside mixed-use buildings to exploit the synergies between the building environment and agriculture, involving resource recovery such as water, energy and nutrient flows. This paper aims at determining strategies, objectives, and best practices of BIA projects through the review of 21 case studies, to understand how a new advanced and future-oriented agriculture applied within the cities borders, can possibly shape the urban built environment and food systems of the future

Housing problems in a changing society. Regulation and training needs in Italy

The paper focuses on the social, economic and environmental trends of recent years in Italy, highlighting the issue of housing emergency, both in quantitative and qualitative terms. What emerges are several shortages in housing especially in the suburbs of large cities, emphasizing the relevance of this issue in terms of health consequences and its priority for the definition of local policies. The authors underline that the availability of accessible and healthy housing is a human right, and a multisectoral responsibility, achievable only if a contribution is made by all relevant sectors including housing, environmental, social welfare, urban planning, building management and public health. The authors conclude by stressing the strategic role of training and illustrating a proposal addressed to all stakeholders, aiming to provide health evidences in terms of impact of housing hazards on health and to describe good building practices, helpful in order to obtain safe and healthy homes

Quantitative dominances of taxa structuring the macrozoobenthic communities living in different coastal habitats.

The aim of this study was to quantify the dominance of macrozoobenthic taxa structuring the benthic assemblages associated to 6 coastal habitats, which occur from the mesolittoral to the circalittoral zone of the Campania coast. Crustaceans, polychaetes and molluscs were the main taxonomic groups structuring all the benthic assemblages, representing an average of 89.20% of the total taxa. However, each habitat showed the dominance of only one peculiar taxon