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Papers by Alessandro Betta

Research paper thumbnail of A Multi-Approach and Collaborative Pathway towards Designing Climate Strategies: The Case of Trentino, a Mountainous Region in Italy

Sustainability, May 16, 2024

Research paper thumbnail of Agricoltura di montagna in divenire: Approcci alle sfide agroalimentari in Trentino

Revue de géographie alpine

Research paper thumbnail of Mountain Farming in the Making: Approaches to Alpine Rural Agro-food Challenges in Trentino

Revue de géographie alpine

Acknowledgments The contents of this manuscript represent some evidence that emerged during a ser... more Acknowledgments The contents of this manuscript represent some evidence that emerged during a series of activities between 2017 and nowadays in various mountain territories of the Alps and Italy. A series of activities with direct involvement of stakeholders were conducted within the Alpine Space Programme project "

Research paper thumbnail of Multiobjective Analysis of Open Areas Invaded by Forest with Open-Source Software: The Case of the Saturn Project

The International Archives of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences

In the last decades in Italian mountainous regions, forests are invading abandoned pastures and c... more In the last decades in Italian mountainous regions, forests are invading abandoned pastures and cultivated surfaces that often played a key ecological role for biodiversity conservation, a complex land-use change phenomenon. To improve sustainable regional planning and management it is increasingly important to quantify the phenomenon and classify those areas according their ecological vocation. This study explores multi-objective and multi-criteria assessment for the identification of the most suitable areas for agricultural purposes between those surfaces that have been invaded by forests. Free and Open-Source Software for Geospatial (FOSS4G) software has been used to carry out the research. The work here presented has been funded by the EIT Climate-KIC SATURN project (2018-2021) and was carried out in the pilot areas of the Province of Trento (Italy). Geospatial data set was georeferenced and managed with GRASS and QGIS and the files were collected combining data freely available at the Autonomous Province of Trento geocatalogue as well as others self-produced during the project. The comparative analysis and methodology were carried out by means of QGIS 3.16 Geographic Information System which has been used to complete the analysis to develop a methodology that can be widely used by territorial operators and Public Administrations. To validate the model and verify the results, on-site inspections were carried out. The developed model can be used in different environmental assessments for territorial planning purposes.

Research paper thumbnail of Decision Making in City Planning: Processes of Visioning and Stakeholders Engagement and their Relation to Sustainable Land-Use in the SATURN Project

Athens Journal of Architecture, Apr 7, 2022

Research paper thumbnail of New Integrated Approaches on Climate Change, the case of SATURN Pan-European Project

Research paper thumbnail of Urban Farming Models, Ecosystems and Climate Change Adaptation in Urban Environments: The Case of SATURN Pan European Programme

ATHENS JOURNAL OF SCIENCES, 2022

The “System and sustainable Approach to virTuous interaction of Urban and Rural LaNdscapes” (SATU... more The “System and sustainable Approach to virTuous interaction of Urban and Rural LaNdscapes” (SATURN) project is exploring how resilience at a city scale might be achieved and how the issues of landscape fragmentation, governance and land management can be addressed resulting in a sustainable future. The EIT Climate-KIC SATURN project is based on a collaboration between three cities of very different scales and contexts, those of Gothenburg in western Sweden, Trento in northern Italy, and Birmingham in the United Kingdom. This paper focuses on the ways in which urban farming can become an important tool to mitigate or adapt to climate change in urban environments by exploring how the three major cities of SATURN deal with these concepts. Using the experience gained throughout the SATURN project as well as the strong communication developed within the consortium, the paper introduces the reasons why urban farming is not just an agricultural activity, but it relates to climate awarenes...

Research paper thumbnail of Socio-Ecological Connectivity for Productive, Circular and Resilient Territories. The Experience of the "Saturn" EIT Climate-KIC Pan European Project

Research paper thumbnail of Journal of Alpine Research | Revue de géographie alpine, 106-2 | 2018

Expansion of urbanized areas heavily changed cultural landscapes' features in many European c... more Expansion of urbanized areas heavily changed cultural landscapes' features in many European countries. Mountain territories have been hit by such processes too; due to their peculiar social and topographical characteristics these effects have been greater than in other territories. Moreover, urbanization expansion process in the Alps is strongly related with temporary dynamics depending from touristic fluxes, implementation of new spaces of mobility, economic development and living. In a context of extreme land scarcity like in the Alps, urban sprawl and dwellers' search for nature proximity to homes and residential areas put territorial governance instruments under pressure and opens up complex questions. Beside other experiences between urban and peripheral spaces, the essay aims at speculating that typical rural communitarian governance models are able to strengthen collective interests over individual ones and can be translated into urban governance models by public auth...

Research paper thumbnail of New Integrated Approaches to Climate Emergency Landscape Strategies: The Case of Pan-European SATURN Project

Sustainability, 2020

The landscape has been described as a ‘blind spot’ when examined in light of regional strategies.... more The landscape has been described as a ‘blind spot’ when examined in light of regional strategies. The immense potential of peri-urban and rural hinterlands to counter the climate emergency is therefore also overlooked. The European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT)Climate-KIC’s (Knowledge and Innovation Community) System and sustainable Approach to virTuous interaction of Urban and Rural LaNdscapes (SATURN) aims to address this short-sightedness. The reason why we do not see or value the landscape is complex, but part of the problem relates to its multiple ownership, numerous types and scales of conflicting designations, governance structures, policy requirements, and regulatory frameworks. This leads to an approach that is fragmented and sectoral and, therefore, fails to see the bigger picture or recognise the value that the territory has in order to deal with current environmental challenges. With partners from across Europe, the pan-European Orchestrated Ecosystem rese...

Research paper thumbnail of Trento Social Commons. Coinvolgimento comunitario come modalità per una nuova relazione fisica e culturale tra spazi urbani, periferici e rurali

Revue de géographie alpine, 2018

Premises: ongoing discourses on alpine territories and cities Expanding urban development has cha... more Premises: ongoing discourses on alpine territories and cities Expanding urban development has changed the features of cultural landscapes in many countries in Europe. We find that for many cities growing land use pressure is a common challenge related with current development. Natural and cultural assets of urban and peri-urban spaces in metropolitan areas, also at alpine level, are strained by various phenomena related to structural densification, migrations, changes in traditional lifestyles and, somehow, by their strong capacity to attract people and businesses (ESPON, 2006, NORDREGIO 2004, Segretariato Permanente della Convezione delle Alpi, 2015). Within this context, how political territorialities and management strategies can be put in place at both the local and transnational levels to shape new relationships between rural and peripheral spaces? Which tools and institutional innovations are needed? Trento Social Commons. Community Engagement as Tools for New Physical and Cul...

Research paper thumbnail of Trento Social Commons. Community Engagement as Tools for New Physical and Cultural Relationships Between Rural and Peripheral Spaces

Revue de géographie alpine, 2018

Premises: ongoing discourses on alpine territories and cities Expanding urban development has cha... more Premises: ongoing discourses on alpine territories and cities Expanding urban development has changed the features of cultural landscapes in many countries in Europe. We find that for many cities growing land use pressure is a common challenge related with current development. Natural and cultural assets of urban and peri-urban spaces in metropolitan areas, also at alpine level, are strained by various phenomena related to structural densification, migrations, changes in traditional lifestyles and, somehow, by their strong capacity to attract people and businesses (ESPON, 2006, NORDREGIO 2004, Segretariato Permanente della Convezione delle Alpi, 2015). Within this context, how political territorialities and management strategies can be put in place at both the local and transnational levels to shape new relationships between rural and peripheral spaces? Which tools and institutional innovations are needed? Trento Social Commons. Community Engagement as Tools for New Physical and Cul...

Research paper thumbnail of Contribution of Conceptual-Drawing Methods to Raise Awareness on Landscape Connectivity: Socio-Environmental Analysis in the Regional Context of Trentino (Italy)

Sustainability

This paper deals with landscape understanding and connectivity from an ecological as well as a hu... more This paper deals with landscape understanding and connectivity from an ecological as well as a human perspective. It is based on a broader research study known as EIT Climate-KIC SATURN (System and sustainable Approach to virTuous interaction of Urban and Rural LaNdscapes) co-funded by the European Institute of Innovation & Technology (EIT), Climate-KIC and the institutions participating in this project. The aim of the study was to explore how landscape connectivity is perceived, on urban and regional scales, by decision-makers and key stakeholders as well as the impact this can have on building sustainable cities. The paper used a series of drawing and visualization workshops, community engagement methods, and participatory tools to identify the connection communities and decision-makers have with their landscape surroundings as well as the impact landscape connectivity has on our health and wellbeing. Through a series of specifically designed workshops following a landscape vision...

Research paper thumbnail of A Multi-Approach and Collaborative Pathway towards Designing Climate Strategies: The Case of Trentino, a Mountainous Region in Italy

Sustainability, May 16, 2024

Research paper thumbnail of Agricoltura di montagna in divenire: Approcci alle sfide agroalimentari in Trentino

Revue de géographie alpine

Research paper thumbnail of Mountain Farming in the Making: Approaches to Alpine Rural Agro-food Challenges in Trentino

Revue de géographie alpine

Acknowledgments The contents of this manuscript represent some evidence that emerged during a ser... more Acknowledgments The contents of this manuscript represent some evidence that emerged during a series of activities between 2017 and nowadays in various mountain territories of the Alps and Italy. A series of activities with direct involvement of stakeholders were conducted within the Alpine Space Programme project "

Research paper thumbnail of Multiobjective Analysis of Open Areas Invaded by Forest with Open-Source Software: The Case of the Saturn Project

The International Archives of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences

In the last decades in Italian mountainous regions, forests are invading abandoned pastures and c... more In the last decades in Italian mountainous regions, forests are invading abandoned pastures and cultivated surfaces that often played a key ecological role for biodiversity conservation, a complex land-use change phenomenon. To improve sustainable regional planning and management it is increasingly important to quantify the phenomenon and classify those areas according their ecological vocation. This study explores multi-objective and multi-criteria assessment for the identification of the most suitable areas for agricultural purposes between those surfaces that have been invaded by forests. Free and Open-Source Software for Geospatial (FOSS4G) software has been used to carry out the research. The work here presented has been funded by the EIT Climate-KIC SATURN project (2018-2021) and was carried out in the pilot areas of the Province of Trento (Italy). Geospatial data set was georeferenced and managed with GRASS and QGIS and the files were collected combining data freely available at the Autonomous Province of Trento geocatalogue as well as others self-produced during the project. The comparative analysis and methodology were carried out by means of QGIS 3.16 Geographic Information System which has been used to complete the analysis to develop a methodology that can be widely used by territorial operators and Public Administrations. To validate the model and verify the results, on-site inspections were carried out. The developed model can be used in different environmental assessments for territorial planning purposes.

Research paper thumbnail of Decision Making in City Planning: Processes of Visioning and Stakeholders Engagement and their Relation to Sustainable Land-Use in the SATURN Project

Athens Journal of Architecture, Apr 7, 2022

Research paper thumbnail of New Integrated Approaches on Climate Change, the case of SATURN Pan-European Project

Research paper thumbnail of Urban Farming Models, Ecosystems and Climate Change Adaptation in Urban Environments: The Case of SATURN Pan European Programme

ATHENS JOURNAL OF SCIENCES, 2022

The “System and sustainable Approach to virTuous interaction of Urban and Rural LaNdscapes” (SATU... more The “System and sustainable Approach to virTuous interaction of Urban and Rural LaNdscapes” (SATURN) project is exploring how resilience at a city scale might be achieved and how the issues of landscape fragmentation, governance and land management can be addressed resulting in a sustainable future. The EIT Climate-KIC SATURN project is based on a collaboration between three cities of very different scales and contexts, those of Gothenburg in western Sweden, Trento in northern Italy, and Birmingham in the United Kingdom. This paper focuses on the ways in which urban farming can become an important tool to mitigate or adapt to climate change in urban environments by exploring how the three major cities of SATURN deal with these concepts. Using the experience gained throughout the SATURN project as well as the strong communication developed within the consortium, the paper introduces the reasons why urban farming is not just an agricultural activity, but it relates to climate awarenes...

Research paper thumbnail of Socio-Ecological Connectivity for Productive, Circular and Resilient Territories. The Experience of the "Saturn" EIT Climate-KIC Pan European Project

Research paper thumbnail of Journal of Alpine Research | Revue de géographie alpine, 106-2 | 2018

Expansion of urbanized areas heavily changed cultural landscapes' features in many European c... more Expansion of urbanized areas heavily changed cultural landscapes' features in many European countries. Mountain territories have been hit by such processes too; due to their peculiar social and topographical characteristics these effects have been greater than in other territories. Moreover, urbanization expansion process in the Alps is strongly related with temporary dynamics depending from touristic fluxes, implementation of new spaces of mobility, economic development and living. In a context of extreme land scarcity like in the Alps, urban sprawl and dwellers' search for nature proximity to homes and residential areas put territorial governance instruments under pressure and opens up complex questions. Beside other experiences between urban and peripheral spaces, the essay aims at speculating that typical rural communitarian governance models are able to strengthen collective interests over individual ones and can be translated into urban governance models by public auth...

Research paper thumbnail of New Integrated Approaches to Climate Emergency Landscape Strategies: The Case of Pan-European SATURN Project

Sustainability, 2020

The landscape has been described as a ‘blind spot’ when examined in light of regional strategies.... more The landscape has been described as a ‘blind spot’ when examined in light of regional strategies. The immense potential of peri-urban and rural hinterlands to counter the climate emergency is therefore also overlooked. The European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT)Climate-KIC’s (Knowledge and Innovation Community) System and sustainable Approach to virTuous interaction of Urban and Rural LaNdscapes (SATURN) aims to address this short-sightedness. The reason why we do not see or value the landscape is complex, but part of the problem relates to its multiple ownership, numerous types and scales of conflicting designations, governance structures, policy requirements, and regulatory frameworks. This leads to an approach that is fragmented and sectoral and, therefore, fails to see the bigger picture or recognise the value that the territory has in order to deal with current environmental challenges. With partners from across Europe, the pan-European Orchestrated Ecosystem rese...

Research paper thumbnail of Trento Social Commons. Coinvolgimento comunitario come modalità per una nuova relazione fisica e culturale tra spazi urbani, periferici e rurali

Revue de géographie alpine, 2018

Premises: ongoing discourses on alpine territories and cities Expanding urban development has cha... more Premises: ongoing discourses on alpine territories and cities Expanding urban development has changed the features of cultural landscapes in many countries in Europe. We find that for many cities growing land use pressure is a common challenge related with current development. Natural and cultural assets of urban and peri-urban spaces in metropolitan areas, also at alpine level, are strained by various phenomena related to structural densification, migrations, changes in traditional lifestyles and, somehow, by their strong capacity to attract people and businesses (ESPON, 2006, NORDREGIO 2004, Segretariato Permanente della Convezione delle Alpi, 2015). Within this context, how political territorialities and management strategies can be put in place at both the local and transnational levels to shape new relationships between rural and peripheral spaces? Which tools and institutional innovations are needed? Trento Social Commons. Community Engagement as Tools for New Physical and Cul...

Research paper thumbnail of Trento Social Commons. Community Engagement as Tools for New Physical and Cultural Relationships Between Rural and Peripheral Spaces

Revue de géographie alpine, 2018

Premises: ongoing discourses on alpine territories and cities Expanding urban development has cha... more Premises: ongoing discourses on alpine territories and cities Expanding urban development has changed the features of cultural landscapes in many countries in Europe. We find that for many cities growing land use pressure is a common challenge related with current development. Natural and cultural assets of urban and peri-urban spaces in metropolitan areas, also at alpine level, are strained by various phenomena related to structural densification, migrations, changes in traditional lifestyles and, somehow, by their strong capacity to attract people and businesses (ESPON, 2006, NORDREGIO 2004, Segretariato Permanente della Convezione delle Alpi, 2015). Within this context, how political territorialities and management strategies can be put in place at both the local and transnational levels to shape new relationships between rural and peripheral spaces? Which tools and institutional innovations are needed? Trento Social Commons. Community Engagement as Tools for New Physical and Cul...

Research paper thumbnail of Contribution of Conceptual-Drawing Methods to Raise Awareness on Landscape Connectivity: Socio-Environmental Analysis in the Regional Context of Trentino (Italy)

Sustainability

This paper deals with landscape understanding and connectivity from an ecological as well as a hu... more This paper deals with landscape understanding and connectivity from an ecological as well as a human perspective. It is based on a broader research study known as EIT Climate-KIC SATURN (System and sustainable Approach to virTuous interaction of Urban and Rural LaNdscapes) co-funded by the European Institute of Innovation & Technology (EIT), Climate-KIC and the institutions participating in this project. The aim of the study was to explore how landscape connectivity is perceived, on urban and regional scales, by decision-makers and key stakeholders as well as the impact this can have on building sustainable cities. The paper used a series of drawing and visualization workshops, community engagement methods, and participatory tools to identify the connection communities and decision-makers have with their landscape surroundings as well as the impact landscape connectivity has on our health and wellbeing. Through a series of specifically designed workshops following a landscape vision...