Information Systems for the Environment and TerritoryModule Ecosystem Services for Territorial and Urban Planning
Academic Year 2026/2027 - Teacher: VIVIANA PAPPALARDOExpected Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of the course, students will be familiar with the environmental goods and services model, the different categories of Ecosystem Services (regulating, provisioning, etc.), the relevant regulatory framework, and the main trends in the international evolution of the discipline, while also understanding the complexity of planning processes and the logic of integration between general and sectoral planning. They will know and understand the spatial implications of the ecosystem service cascade model, which shows the relationship between biophysical structures and processes and benefits and values for human well-being.
Applying knowledge and understanding
The skills acquired will translate into the ability to quantify and assess Ecosystem Services; to use open-source GIS software as a working environment; and to apply a range of urban analysis and design techniques to guide the physical and environmental transformation of cities and territories towards maximizing the production of ecosystem services.
Making judgements
Students will develop independent judgement and the ability to critically analyze territorial dynamics through urban and territorial analyses of assigned case studies, by evaluating the results obtained and by drafting design proposals that offer alternatives to the existing situation.
Students will also develop the ability to communicate complex land-use governance concepts clearly, using appropriate disciplinary and regulatory terminology. They will further acquire specific skills in the spatial representation of territorial analyses in a GIS environment.
Learning skills
The analytical and design work on the case studies will be structured as individual activities, including preparing multimedia oral presentations. Students will thus be able to develop an autonomous study method, useful for keeping pace with the continuous technical, technological, and cultural developments that characterize the field, as well as an approach and communication method suited to a mixed audience of stakeholders (professional practitioners, decision-makers, etc.).
Course Structure
The course foresees a series of introductory lectures on the course' topics and individual work by the students, under the supervision of the Teacher. In the classroom, students proceed with the development of the project on an area that will be assigned to them at the beginning of the course, with the aim of minimizing the work to be done outside the STUDIO hours. The STUDIO DOES NOT FORESEE intermediate deadlines within its lifetime:
The Studio will be organized so that students will be able to complete the work within the class hours
Information for students with disabilities
Required Prerequisites
Attendance of Lessons
Students must formally register for the course through the dedicated STUDIUM page. Attendance is not compulsory but highly adviced in order to complete the exercise work in class and under the teacher's support and supervision.
Detailed Course Content
The "Servizi Ecosistemici per la Progettazione Territoriale ed Urbana" course is part of the integrated course in "Sistemi Informativi per l'Ambiente e Territorio" together with the course "Sistemi Informativi per la Pianificazione Territorial", held in parallel in the same semester. The two courses aim to provide students with theoretical-practical tools for the design of urban-territorial transformation scenarios aimed at maximizing the Ecosystem Services provided within a certain study area.
The study area covered by Course will include a portion of a municipal area or with an entire municipality.
Through the analysis of the planning tools, the understanding of spatial processes of both urban and territorial value, as well as the socio-economic and cultural characteristics of the contexts analyzed, students will elaborate a proposal of a project mainly aimed at improving the overall level of sustainability of the study area.
The theoretical insights of the Studio will cover the following topics:
- Ecosystem services and their relevance for spatial planning and design
- The Natural Capital and methodological approaches for the evaluation of ecosystem services
- The integration between ecosystem services and urban and territorial planning
- The relationship between city and countryside and the planning of new forms of urban and peri-urban agriculture for metropolitan contexts
- Urban regeneration laws and programmes
- Nature-based solutions and sustainable drainage systems for mitigation and adaptation to climate change
The project elaboration phase will be preceded by a series of territorial analyzes involving the use of remote sensing techniques, which will be presented in the module "Geomatica per la pianificazione Territoriale,", which will be carried out in parallel in the same semester.
The project proposals will also be accompanied by general economic studies that quantify the economic resources necessary for their implementation.
The main, but not the only, papers to be produced within the course include:
- Land use
- Land Cover
- Ecosystem services assessment
- Infrastructural assets
- Evaluations and metaproject
- Project design
Textbook Information
References used in the Studio will include a collection of scientific articles and book chapters that will be made available on the dedicated Studium page.
Examples include:
Gómez-Baggethun, E.; Barton, D.N. Classifying and valuing ecosystem services for urban planning. Ecol. Econ. 2013, 86, 235–245.
· K. Grunewald, O. Bastian, J. Louda , A. Arcidiacono, P. Brzoska , M. Bue , N.I. Cetin, C. Dworczykh, L. Dubovac, A. Fitch , L. Jones, D. La Rosa, A. Mascarenhas, S. Ronchi, M.A. Sschlaepfe, D. Sikorskan, A. Tezer (2021). Lessons learned from implementing the ecosystem services concept in urban planning. Ecosystem Services, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoser.2021.101273
La Rosa S.D. (2015). Il ruolo delle Aree Non Urbanizzate per la fornitura di Servizi Ecosistemici in contesti periurbani. In Munafò M., Marchetti M., eds “Recuperiamo terreno. Analisi e prospettive per la gestione sostenibile della risorsa suolo”, Franco Angeli Milano. ISBN: 978889172291
·
Nordin, A. C., H. I. Hanson, and J. Alkan Olsson. (2017). Integration of the ecosystem services concept in planning documents from six municipalities in southwestern Sweden. Ecology and Society 22(3):26. https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-09420-220326
Sirakaya A, Cliquet A, Harris J (2018) Ecosystem services in cities: towards the international legal protection of ecosystem services in urban environments. Ecosyst Serv 29:205–212. https ://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecose r.2017.01.001
·
Spyra M., La Rosa D., Zasada I., Sylla M., Shkaruba A. (2020). Governance of ecosystem services trade-offs in peri-urban landscapes. Land Use Policy, 104617, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2020.104617
·
Woodruff SC, BenDor TK (2016) Ecosystem services in urban planning: comparative paradigm and guidelines for high quality plans. Landscape and Urban Planning 152:90–100
Course Planning
| Subjects | Text References | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Introduction to Ecosystem Services | lecture presentation, selection of scientific articles |
| 2 | Analysis and Mapping of Ecosystem Services | lecture presentation, selection of scientific articles |
| 3 | Economic Evaluation of Scenarios | lecture presentation, selection of scientific articles |
| 4 | Land Use Analysis | lecture presentation, selection of scientific articles |
| 5 | Land Cover Analysis | lecture presentation, selection of scientific articles |
| 6 | Definition of Alternative Scenarios for Territorial Planning | lecture presentation, selection of scientific articles |
| 7 | New Forms of Urban and Peri-Urban Agriculture | lecture presentation, selection of scientific articles |
| 8 | Regulating ecosystem services and nature-based solutions | lecture presentation, selection of scientific articles |
Learning Assessment
Learning Assessment Procedures
- The exam consists of a presentation of the exercises and the final project (group presentation) and an oral exam (individual) on the topics covered during the course.
- The oral exam can be taken after completing the presentation of the given exercise and project
REFERENCES FOR EVALUATION
The final grade is awarded out of 30, based on the following main evaluation criteria:
-Theoretical and regulatory knowledge
-Exercise/Case Study: Spatial analysis and planning in a GIS environment
-Presentation and graphics
- Fail / Unsatisfactory
Subject knowledge and understanding: Significant deficiencies and inaccuracies; severe conceptual gaps.
Analysis and synthesis skills: Irrelevant; frequent generalizations; completely inappropriate use of references; spatial analysis and mapping essentially incomplete and flawed; planning proposals unsatisfactory or contrasting with current best practices; inability to present the work; incomplete deliverables.
- 18–20
Subject knowledge and understanding: Very modest; evident imperfections.
Analysis and synthesis skills: Barely sufficient; barely appropriate use of references; partial spatial analysis and mapping with errors or gaps in interpreting the territorial context; weak planning proposals with poor consideration of emerging principles and approaches; hesitant use of GIS; confusing presentation; severe difficulty in using urban planning terminology.
- 21–23
Subject knowledge and understanding: Scarcely more than sufficient knowledge.
Analysis and synthesis skills: Fair analysis and synthesis skills; argues in a logical and coherent manner; standard use of references; partial spatial analysis and mapping with sufficient accuracy in interpreting the territorial context; planning proposals aligned with emerging principles and approaches; sufficiently autonomous use of GIS; hesitant presentation; minimal use of urban planning terminology.
- 24–26
Subject knowledge and understanding: Good knowledge; correct and autonomous answers.
Analysis and synthesis skills: Good analysis and synthesis skills; arguments are presented coherently; standard use of references; substantially complete spatial analysis and mapping with few imperfections; effective, well-structured planning proposals; autonomous use of GIS; readable deliverables and sufficient but disorganized graphics; language occasionally non-technical.
- 27–29
Subject knowledge and understanding: Very good knowledge; correct and autonomous answers.
Analysis and synthesis skills: Remarkable analysis and synthesis skills; coherent use of references; complete spatial analysis and mapping without evident imperfections; structured and in-depth planning proposals; advanced use of GIS; highly readable deliverables and well-designed graphics; clear presentation and appropriate terminology.
- 30–30 cum laude
Subject knowledge and understanding: Excellent knowledge; absolute mastery of theoretical content.
Analysis and synthesis
skills: Outstanding analysis and synthesis skills; smooth and critical
connections; appropriate use of references with significant insights; complete
and correct spatial analysis and mapping; innovative, feasible planning
solutions consistent with higher-level planning frameworks; advanced use of GIS
with autonomous insights in its applications. High-impact boards/slides;
respect for time limits; advanced technical/specialized language.
Examples of frequently asked questions and / or exercises
Methodological and theoretical approaches for the definition of design scenarios
Definition of Ecosystem Services
Methods for the quantification and evaluation of ecosystem services
Ecosystem Services and Urban Planning
Ecosystem services in Planning tools