City Of Cagliari Research Articles

Monitoring and preservation of stone cultural heritage using a fuzzy model for predicting salt crystallisation damage

In this study, a fuzzy model is presented for predicting the possibility of degradation due to salt crystallisation cycles. The formalization of the proposed model has been based on the multivariable approach which considers environmental data (such as temperature, solar radiation, wind speed, rain quantity, relative humidity), characteristic inflection points of specific salts and stone features derived from laboratory characterizations (including mechanical properties, porosity, and mineralogical composition). Modeling results have been compared with experimental data elaborations acquired by monitoring a semi-confined archaeological site situated in the city of Cagliari (Munatius Irenaus cubicle), revealing substantial alignment in the degradation kinetics trends. Moreover, the achieved outcomes show the remarkable capability to identify salt crystallisation phenomenon type (efflorescence or subflorescence).

Walkable City and Military Enclaves: Analysis and Decision-Making Approach to Support the Proximity Connection in Urban Regeneration

Accessibility and urban walkability are the cornerstones of urban policies for the contemporary city, which needs to be oriented towards sustainable development principles and models. Such aims are included in the objectives of the 2030 Agenda, as well as in the ambitious objectives of the ‘European Green Deal’. These concepts are closely linked to the paradigm of a sustainable city—livable, healthy and inclusive—based on a system of high-quality public spaces and on a network of services and infrastructures, both tangible and intangible, capable of strengthening and building new social, economic and environmental relationships. It is necessary to recognize potential opportunities for connection and permeability in consolidated urban environments. These are very often fragmented and are characterized by enclaves of very different kinds. Ghettoes and gated communities, old industrial plants and military installations and facilities, to cite a few, represent examples of cases where closures on urban fabrics are realized, impeding full walkability and accessibility. Within such a framework, the present research is aimed at focusing on a particular set of enclaves, such as those represented by the military sites being reconfigured to civilian use, a phenomenon that characterizes many urban areas in the world; in Europe; and in Italy, in particular, given the recent history and the Cold War infrastructure heritage. In such a sense, the city of Cagliari (Sardinia Island, Italy) represents an interesting case study as it is characterized by the presence of a series of military complexes; real ‘enclaves’ influencing the proximity connections; and, more generally, walkability. Building on previous research and analysis of policies and projects aimed at reintroducing, even partially, this military asset into civilian life (Green Barracks Project (GBP)-2019), this paper proposes and applies a methodology to evaluate the effects of urban regeneration on walkability in a flexible network logic, oriented to the ‘15 min city’ model or, more generally, to the renewed, inclusive, safe “city of proximity”, resilient and sustainable.

The transformation of urban spaces as a cycling motivator: the case of Cagliari, Italy

Recently walking and cycling, known as active mobility, have attracted the attention of both citizens and policymakers. Many new pedestrian areas and cycle paths have been created or extended in various cities across Europe and monetary incentives have been offered to support and encourage citizens to use active mobility. Starting from this context, the aim of the current paper is to evaluate the impact that interventions of re-functionalization of the street space have in boosting cycling mobility in the city of Cagliari (Italy). Employing data collected in three distinct cross-sectional surveys (2014, 2019 and 2020), we constructed a logit model that simulates individuals’ probability to cycle/not cycle for one purpose or another. Model results indicate a general increase in the probability to cycle over time and that individuals living in those areas where cycling facilities are provided were more likely to use the bicycle than the rest of the city’s residents. Furthermore, our findings show that measures developed to improve cycling infrastructure should be implemented jointly with interventions of urban regeneration, that modify the environment in terms of both safety and livability. Finally, our results stress the importance of the longitudinal assessment of policies and strategies.

Percorsi di ricerca nella città ‘cosmopolita’: strumenti e metodi di indagine

The social transformations and the spatializing practices that individuals and groups put in place on the contemporary urban territory, especially for what concerns different human groups in the same urban context, have long been the subject of much research in social geography. How to place oneself, as a researcher, in a hybrid and complex space such as that of the intercultural and cosmopolitan city? Starting from a field research conducted in the City of Cagliari, this contribution aims to discuss the methodologies used, the postures adopted and the critical issues that emerged in conducting an analysis centered on those emerging territorialities attributable to the presence of foreign individuals and communities recently settled in the urban space.

GI Guidelines for the Metropolitan City of Cagliari (Italy): A Method for Implementing Green Areas

The decline of natural capital resulting from urbanization has triggered phenomena such as landscape fragmentation and loss of biodiversity. European institutions have published documents and strategies with the purpose of counteracting such phenomena. In this regard, in 2020 the European Commission released the European Biodiversity Strategy 2030, which defines biodiversity conservation objectives and promotes the implementation of green infrastructures (GIs) designed to supply ecosystem services, which can increase people’s well-being. The scientific literature has scarcely dealt with methods for drafting guidance documents (guidelines) to support public administrations in the implementation of GIs. In this study, we aim at designing and applying a method for drafting GI guidelines. We apply the method to the Metropolitan City of Cagliari, the main urbanized area—which partially includes the former Province of Cagliari—of Sardinia (Italy). According to the findings, a proposal of GI guidelines should be rooted in context analysis and consistency checks and should be tailored to specific geographical and institutional contexts. The preliminary guidelines described in this study are designed to provide public administrations with GI guidelines based on scientific, technical, and cultural considerations, and are aimed at supporting an effective implementation of GIs and a GI network.

Decay Detection in an Ancient Column with Combined Close-Range Photogrammetry (CRP) and Ultrasonic Tomography

This study presents the integrated application of a few non-destructive techniques, i.e., Close Range Photogrammetry (CRP), and low frequency (24 kHz) ultrasonic tomography complemented by petrographical analysis. The aim here is to assess the conservation state of a Carrara marble column in the Basilica of San Saturnino, which is part of a V-VI century Palaeo Christian complex in the city of Cagliari (Italy). The high resolution 3D modelling of the studied artifact was computed starting from the integration of proximal sensing techniques, such as CRP based on the Structure from Motion (SfM) technique, which provided information on the geometrical anomalies and reflectivity of the investigated marble column surface. The inner parts of the studied body were inspected successfully in a non-invasive way by computing the velocity pattern of the ultrasonic signal through the investigated materials, using 3D ultrasonic tomography. The latter was optimally designed based on the 3D CRP analysis and the locations of the source and receiver points were detected as accurately as possible. The integrated application of in situ CRP and ultrasonic techniques provided a full 3D high resolution model of the investigated artifact, which made it possible to evaluate the material characteristics and its degradation state, affecting mainly the shallower parts of the column. The 3D visualisation improves the efficiency, accuracy, and completeness of the interpretative process of data of a different nature in quite easily understood displays, as well as the communication between different technicians.

The Multi-Method Tool ‘PAST’ for Evaluating Cultural Routes in Historical Cities: Evidence from Cagliari, Italy

Thematic paths are a central aspect of urban policies for cultural heritage valorization. In fact, thematic paths are central spatial features for structuring the image of a historical landscape. Hence, this study proposes the cultural paths assessment tool (PAST) as a methodological framework for individuating a network of routes connecting cultural heritage components and for assessing their usefulness. Usefulness is herein defined as the potential of a street network to support the meaningful experience of a historical urban landscape. PAST combines space syntax techniques, a geographic information system, and a qualitative analysis within a multi-criteria analysis framework for addressing four aspects of connecting cultural heritage components, including: (i) the individuation of relevant assets; (ii) the identification of the sub-network of most central street segments; (iii) the definition of the street network of thematic routes; (iv) the assessment of the usefulness of thematic paths, according to the criteria of usability, imageability, and accessibility. The proposed methodology, applied to the historical district of Marina in the city of Cagliari in Italy, supports planning and design processes in two ways: (1) by identifying street segments and squares comprising a network of thematic routes; (2) by individuating high-leverage interventions for improving the usefulness of thematic routes. Consequently, the proposed study addresses the need to establish methodologies and analytic tools that support decision making processes for conserving, managing, and valorizing historic urban landscapes.

The role played by towns in parliamentary commissions in the kingdom of Sardinia in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries

ABSTRACT The role played by towns in the political and institutional life of the kingdom of Sardinia during the 1400s is a subject that has been long neglected by historiography. The growing and privileged status of the feudal class has tended to monopolize the attention of existing studies and research, thereby practically ignoring the reality of urban life. First published in the collection Acta Curiarum Regni Sardinie, (the Acts of Parliaments in the Kingdom of Sardinia) in particular, proved to be of fundamental importance in providing knowledge of the institutions that governed the administrative, political, economic and social life of towns, communities and ville under the direct control of the crown. Among others, the towns in question included the capital city of Cagliari and the fortified villa of Alghero. The introduction of parliaments as an institution in the kingdom of Sardinia provided a new occasion for dialogue between urban communities and royal authority. With the establishment of the first assembly, summoned by Pietro IV in 1355 in the Castello quarter of Cagliari, the state-controlled towns and the ville not living under feudal regimes were called upon to participate in the proceedings of a parliament forming their own so called braccio (arm).

IoT Architecture for a Sustainable Tourism Application in a Smart City Environment

In the past few years, the Smart Cities concept has become one of the main driving forces for the urban transition towards a low carbon environment, sustainable economy, and mobility. Tourism, as one of the fastest growing industries, is also an important generator of carbon emissions; therefore, the recently emerging sustainable tourism concept is envisioned as an important part of the Smart Cities paradigm. Within this context, the Internet-of-Things (IoT) concept is the key technological point for the development of smart urban environments through the use of aggregated data, integrated in a single decisional platform. This paper performs the first analysis on the feasibility of the use of an IoT approach and proposes a specific architecture for a sustainable tourism application. The architecture is tailored for the optimisation of the movement of cruise ship tourists in the city of Cagliari (Italy), by taking into consideration factors such as transport information and queue waiting times. A first set of simulations is performed using 67-point of interest, real transportation data, and an optimisation algorithm.

Social Media-Related Geographic Information in the Context of Strategic Environmental Assessment of Municipal Masterplans: A Case Study Concerning Sardinia (Italy)

This paper proposes a discussion concerning the use of social media-related geographic information in the context of the strategic environmental assessment (SEA) of Sardinian Municipal masterplans (MMPs). We show that this kind of information improves, substantially, the SEA process since it provides planners, evaluators, and the local communities with information retrieved from social media that would have not been available otherwise. This information integrates authoritative data collection, which comes from official sources, and enlightens tastes and preferences of the users of services and infrastructure, and their expectations concerning their spatial organization. A methodological approach related to the collection of social media-related geographic information is implemented and discussed with reference to the urban context of the city of Cagliari (Sardinia, Italy). The results are very effective in terms of provision of information, which may possibly increase the spatial knowledge available for planning policy definition and implementation. In this perspective, this kind of information discloses opportunities for building analytical scenarios related to urban and regional planning and it offers useful suggestions for sustainable development based on tourism strategies.

Perceived urban quality of the historic centers: A study concerning the city of Cagliari (Italy)

This paper proposes an econometric approach based on Discrete choice models to identify and analyze the residents’ needs and expectations concerning the spatial organization of the historic neighborhoods where they live, which provides inferences on residential satisfaction’s determinants. In this framework, determinants are grouped into three distinct categories as follows: i. level of satisfaction related to house; ii. neighborhood characteristics; iii. respondents’ social and demographic characteristics. The information coming from the implementation of the DCM-based analysis can be used as an important reference point for the definition of planning policies for historic centers’ preservation. In order to test and discuss its effectiveness, we use the model to analyze needs and expec-tations of the residents of the historic center of Cagliari, a medium-sized urban context of the Italian insular region of Sardinia.

Short-term effects of backpack carriage on plantar pressure and gait in schoolchildren

PurposeTo assess the effects of backpack carriage on plantar pressure distributions and spatio-temporal gait parameters among children. ParticipantsTwo hundred-eighteen schoolchildren, aged 6–13, and attending primary and secondary schools in the city of Cagliari (Italy). MethodsParticipants were tested at school, during regular days. A pressure plate and wearable inertial sensors were used to measure plantar pressures and spatio-temporal parameters of gait. Measures were obtained during both quiet standing and walking, and both with and without a backpack. The latter contained those items a child had on the testing day. ResultsParticipants carried a mean mass in their backpacks of 5.2kg, and more than half had a backpack/body mass ratio higher than 15%. While spatio-temporal gait parameters were not affected by backpack carriage, significant increases (up to 25%) in plantar pressures were found during both static standing and walking, especially in the forefoot. ConclusionUnder realistic conditions, the impact of backpack carriage was more evident on foot-ground interaction than on gait features. However, long-term consequences of altered plantar pressure need to be assessed in future work, considering the actual durations typically spent carrying school items.

An example of a tourist location-based service (LBS) with open-source software

Location-based services (LBS) provide information and data to the user based on geographical position. These services are usually based on a communication network and one or more positioning technologies, combined with geographical information systems which collect the information and present it to the end user. An LBS service is implemented within an infrastructure which must contain at least these five elements: a mobile device (e.g. a cell phone or PDA), a communications network (GSM, GPRS, UMTS), a positioning component (GPS receiver), a service provider and finally, a data provider. On an international level, both the ISO Technical Committee 211 and the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) issued standards and specifications regarding the LBS services. This work concerns the development of a client–server framework compliant with the OpenLS OGC standard and built entirely with free and/or open-source software. The LBS service is a tourist information application for the city of Cagliari in Sardinia (Italy).

Contested places: Carlo Levi's postcolonial discourse in Tutto il miele è finito

Through an analysis of Carlo Levi's Sardinian reportage Tutto il miele è finito, this article will address elements of postcolonial discourse, including colonialism, hegemony and subalternity. Since his first novel, Cristo si è fermato a Eboli, Levi had been greatly concerned by the problem of the South and the limited contribution of Italian unification towards repairing the uneven conditions of its regions. For these reasons, Levi is placed in relation to Gramsci's theories on the ‘Southern Question’, the struggle for emancipation and autonomy. The emphasis on understanding the historical peculiarities of each region or social group is visible throughout Tutto il miele è finito. Sardinia, with its stratified coexistence of times, is described as a contested place, caught between a colonial and a postcolonial history. Three passages of the text are analysed in particular detail: the visit to the inner village of Orgosolo, and those to the city of Cagliari and to the mining town of Carbonia.

Overweight and obesity prevalence in urban Sardinian children

The aim of this study is to evaluate the prevalence of overweight and obesity in children (6-10 years) of the city of Cagliari (Sardinia, Italy) with different socioeconomic status. The sample is composed by 1000 children, 500 males and 500 females, 6 to 10 years old, attending primary schools in Cagliari during 2003. For uniformity with similar Italian studies, in this study overweight and obesity were defined as calculated from the charts published by Tanner et al. (1966). In the Cagliari children, the prevalence of obesity is 22.70%. The percentages of overweight and obese children increase with age: respectively from 11.5% and 14.0% at 6 years to 15.4% and 22.7% at 10 years. There are higher numbers of overweight and obese boys than girls in all the age classes. Both males and females show an increasing percentage of overweight and obesity as the socioeconomic level decreases. Males present higher percentages of overweight and obesity than females of the same social level, i.e. in the lowest social category overweight is 18.68% in males and 13.60% in females and obesity 26.46% in males and 23.62% in females. The standard multivariate regression analysis with the indicator of overweight and obesity as dependent variable showed that the sex (male), socio-economic status, maternal schooling and sums of the limb and trunk skinfolds have the greatest influence on overweight and obesity. The results suggest that overweight and obesity are becoming serious social and health problems in Sardinia.

Quantitative surface analysis of urban airborne particles by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy.

X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) has been used to determine the species present in urban particulate matter collected in the city of Cagliari (Sardinia, Italy) and in an industrial area near to Cagliari. Samples were collected on both cellulose and glass fiber filters. Elemental identification, chemical state and quantitative analyses of the examined samples indicated the presence of Na3AlF6, SiO2 and Al2O3 in the ratio 2:2:5, carbon and oxygen being the major components. The results obtained on NIST SRM 1648 urban particulate matter, before and after grinding, are also presented.

Do speed bumps really decrease traffic speed? An Italian experience

Italy introduced the extensive use of speed bumps only in 1990, in an attempt to limit the high number of fatalities involving pedestrians in urban streets caused by the high speed of vehicles. In many countries, such devices have been the subject of careful investigations (in order to assess their effectiveness and disadvantages for the traffic circulation) and this has resulted in a number of modifications in the design to improve their performance. On the contrary, no systematic and scientific studies have been carried out on Italian installations: moreover, the type of undulation adopted is known to produce a series of problems for some categories of users and is not so effective in reducing speed as larger devices such as ‘speed humps’ or ‘speed cushions’. This paper proposes a study of the effectiveness of 23 speed bumps installed in the city of Cagliari; to this aim, a speed analysis was performed at speed bump locations, at the crosswalks protected by the devices and at sections of the streets where bumps are installed but far from them. The results show that in one third of the cases the 85th percentile of speed measured at the speed bumps is higher than the posted speed limit (50 km/h) and an equal percentage of vehicles travel at a speed in the range of 45–50 km/h. No statistically significant differences were found from the comparison of speed values observed in free, bump or crosswalk sections of the same streets, while speed profiles calculated at four sites, where a high percentage of braking vehicles was observed, showed a common trend from which it clearly emerges that the effect of the device on driver's behaviour is restricted to a short spatial range (about 20–30 m before and after the bump). The current situation thus suggests the use of more effective devices such as humps or cushions, or the integration of speed bumps with other traffic calming techniques.

The impact of the botanical gardens on the aeroplankton of the city of Cagliari

In this study the authors analyse the incidence inthe airborne pollen from exotic plants that grow inthe Botanical Gardens of the University of Cagliari.It was possible to collect the pollen grains of 52 ofthe species cultivated in the Botanical Gardens, mostof which belong to the Leguminosae, the Moraceae and the Myrtaceae. Casuarinastricta Aiton of Australian origin shows the highestconcentration with 137 grains per cubic metre of air.

Qualitative aspects of palmar dermatoglyphics in a sample of Sardinian population

The author examines certain qualitative aspects of palmar dermatoglyphics in 820 individuals of both sexes from the city of Cagliari (Sardinia). The overall results obtained are discussed and the sexual and lateral differences are considered. The sample examined differs from other Mediterranean samples because of a tendency toward a vertical trend of the papillary lines, a lower frequency of patterns in the 2nd and 3rd interdigital areas and a higher frequency of patterns in the 4th interdigital area.