City Of Pisa Research Articles

Green-Powered Electric Public Mobility: Integrating Urban and Interurban Routes—A Case Study Analysis

This article proposes a particular strategy to proceed with a progressive electrification of public transport systems in cities. Starting from a bus operation model, the possible electrification of two routes is analyzed, one urban and another extra-urban in the city of Pisa. An estimate is made of the energy uses associated with certain operating modes. The maximum level of consumption is estimated at approximately 280 kWh per day per bus for the urban route and excluding some special days, less than 215 kWh per day for the extra-urban route, for which a hybrid bus is proposed. Starting from an estimate of the daily consumption for the management of the two routes, the sizing of a photovoltaic (PV) plant distributed on some modular shelters which serves to power the same routes, is carried out. The resulting system has a power of the order of 190–200 kW. The modular solution is also outlined, and an installation is proposed. The analyzed case lends itself to being easily replicated.

A Predator on the Doorstep: Kill Site Selection by a Lone Wolf in a Peri-Urban Park in a Mediterranean Area.

The aim of the study was to assess which kill site characteristics were selected by a lone wolf living in a protected Mediterranean coastal area near the city of Pisa, Italy, where both wild and domestic ungulates were available as potential prey. Between 2017 and 2019, we monitored the wolf's predatory behaviour through a combination of camera trapping and active search for kill sites and prey carcasses. The main prey found was the fallow deer (n = 82); only two wild boars and no domestic ungulates were found preyed upon. The features and habitat of kill sites were modelled to test for selection by the wolf. The habitat type of kill site was composed of meadows and pastures (89.3%), woods (7.3%), degraded coastal areas (1.9%), roads and rivers (1.1%), and marshes (0.5%). We calculated their distance from landscape features and ran a binomial generalised linear model to test the influence of such landscape variables. The distance of kill sites from landscape elements was significantly different from random control sites, and a positive selection for fences was found. In fact, the wolf pushed fallow deer towards a fence to constrain them and prevent them from escaping. We also analysed the body condition of predated fallow deer as a percentage of fat content in the bone marrow of the hind legs. Our results revealed the selection of the lone wolf for deer in good body condition. This is a possible outcome of the habitat selection shown by fallow deer in the study area, where fenced open pastures are the richest in trophic resources; therefore, our findings suggest a high efficacy for the lone wolf hunting strategy, but also the adoption of a high risk feeding strategy by deer. This study suggests that a lone predator can take advantage of human infrastructures to maximise its predatory effectiveness.

Risk Associations between Vehicular Traffic Noise Exposure and Cardiovascular Diseases: A Residential Retrospective Cohort Study.

Environmental noise can induce detrimental health effects such as cardiovascular disease (CVD). The relationship between vehicular traffic noise pollution and CVD was investigated through a retrospective residential cohort study in the city of Pisa. Four exposure classes were defined for noise pollution, using noise propagation maps. The association between noise exposures and cause-specific mortality or hospitalization of the subjects of the cohort was calculated using the hazard ratio (HR) for night and day through a multiple time-dependent and sex-specific Cox regression adjusting for age, the socio-economic deprivation index, and traffic air pollution. Mortality excess for CVD and risk trends for a 1 decibel noise increment were observed among the most exposed women (mortality: HRnightclass4 1.15 (1.03–1.28); Trendnight 1.007 (1.002–1.012); HRdayclass4 1.14 (1.02–1.27); Trendday 1.008 (1.003–1.013)), particularly for ischaemic disease (mortality: Trendnight 1.008 (0.999–1.017); Trendday 1.009 (0.999–1.018)) and cerebrovascular disease (mortality: HRnightclass3 1.23 (1.02–1.48), HRdayclass3 1.24 (1.03–1.49)). Hospitalization analyses confirm mortality results. A decreased risk for hospitalization was also observed among the most exposed men (HRdayclass4 0.94 (0.88–1.01), particularly for ischaemic disease (HRnightclass4 0.90 (0.80–1.02); HRdayclass4 0.86 (0.77–0.97)) and cerebrovascular disease (HRnightclass4 0.89 (0.78–1.01)). Authors recommend the adoption of prevention measures aimed at mitigating noise and the activation of a monitoring of the risk profile in the Pisa population updating both the residential cohort and health data.

Assessing the Effects of COVID-19 on Accommodations Availabilities and Prices

In 2020 a new pandemic, named COVID-19 has been spreading all over the world, causing a reduction of activities, including in the tourism sector. This paper tries to quantify the effects of COVID-19 on accommodations, with a particular focus on prices trend and accommodations availability. Experiments simulated more than 400 accommodation bookings over the period of time before, during and after the wave of the pandemic caused by COVID-19. The analysis is done for the city of Pisa, but it could be generalized to all the other cities, provided that there is an availability of data. The typology with the highest drop in availability was that of 2-star hotels with a maximum decrease of 66%. Even the 4 and 3-star hotels were clearly affected by the pandemic, recording maximum drops of 36% for 4-star hotels and 25% for 3-star hotels. Regarding the analysis of prices trend, the categories most affected by the pandemic were hotels, hostels and tourist villages, which recorded significant price increases. The major novelty of this paper involves the definition of a strategy which can be used to analyze the impact of COVID-19 on accommodations, as well as the release of the DOTApy software for the extraction of data. Doi: 10.28991/HIJ-2021-02-03-07 Full Text: PDF

Panchina Calcarenite: A Building Material from Tuscany Coast

The “Panchina” calcarenite widely outcrops along the Tuscan coastline from Livorno to Baratti (western Tuscany). It is a stone, highly porous with medium sized grains rich in organogenic carbonate fragments, mainly consisting in shells of bivalves, gastropods, and echinoderms visible to the naked eye or by using a lens. In the framework of the ongoing research on the building stones and mortars used throughout the Middle Ages in and surrounding the Pisa’s city (western Tuscany), this study focuses on the determination of the main physical and mechanical properties of “Panchina” stone samples from Livorno coast (Tuscany, Italy). The “Panchina” stone is no longer quarried and data is collected from unweathered rocks sampled from currently accessible outcrops. The data collected on twenty-eight samples from six outcrops of the Tuscan coast showed that the analysed specimens are made up of abundant calcite, subordinate quartz and feldspars, and traces of phyllosilicates. The analysed samples are characterized by medium-high porosity, highly variable water absorption by both capillarity and total immersion at atmospheric pressure, low uniaxial compressive resistance. Thanks to the good physical and mechanical properties that characterize the stone, the “Panchina” calcarenite is easy to work and extensively used in the necropolis of the Gulf of Baratti since Etruscan times and, in medieval times, in various public and religious buildings in the city of Pisa.

Le necropoli urbane di Pisa tra tarda antichità e basso medioevo : analisi preliminari

This contribution is part of the University of Pisa Research Project (PRA) entitled «Funerary landscapes between ritual and society. New approaches to the study of the necropolises in the ancient world», coordinated by Anna Anguissola. The biennial project is aimed at studying necropolises in different contexts, both spatial and chronological. The study in question aims to investigate the urban necropolises of Pisa from the Iron Age to the Middle Ages, through methods of spatial and social network analysis. It concerns (a) the study of the distribution and typology of burials in urban areas; (b) the ethnic, social, and (where possible) family composition of cemetery areas; (c) the dissemination as open data. This paper focuses on (a) the collection of the data relating to the burials found in the city of Pisa in their complete diachrony; (b) the creation of a relational database and a GIS project; (c) the development of quantitative and spatial analyses. The formalization of the data and their graphic description as elements placed in the space allows to recontextualize at spatial and typological level all the available information concerning each burial (anthropological data, outfit, type of deposition, container, etc.), and to carry out exploratory, quantitative and spatial analyses which allow to shed light on the funeral rites and the demography of Pisa over the centuries.

Design of a combined power, heating and cooling system at sized and undersized configurations for a reference building: Technoeconomic and topological considerations in Iran and Italy

The objective of the present paper is sizing of a technically optimum and economically feasible cogeneration system to supply heating, cooling and electricity to a reference building in the city of Pisa, Italy, for different months of the year. This cogeneration system is proposed in two operational modes, sized and under-sized, so that the effect of natural gas and electricity consumption costs on the system design can be achieved. To this end, the amount of energy consumption and cost of various types of the proposed cogeneration systems based on reciprocating engines are computed and compared. Afterward, in the proposed systems, for understanding the effect of the costs of the energy carriers in different countries on the rate of payback period, a comparison is conducted on the payback period between Iran and Italy. In the end, a sensitivity analysis is performed in Iran and Italy to survey the effect of any change in the cost of investment, natural gas, and electricity on the payback period. The results indicated that although the costs of gas and electricity are comparatively lower, the payback period is longer for Iran, which can be blamed on Iran’s higher discount rate (~50%). The results of sensitivity analysis showed that if the natural gas cost in Italy equals that of Iran, there would be a 6.4% reduction in the payback period and if the electricity cost consumption in Iran is taken equivalent to the cost of electricity in Italy, a decrease of 25% will appear in the payback period.

Home-work carpooling for social mixing

Shared mobility is widely recognized for its contribution in reducing carbon footprint, traffic congestion, parking needs and transportation-related costs in urban and suburban areas. In this context, the use of carpooling in home-work commute is particularly appealing for its potential of lessening the number of cars and kilometers traveled, consequently reducing major causes of traffic in cities. Accordingly, most of the carpooling algorithms are optimized for reducing total travel time, cost, and other transportation-related metrics. In this paper, we analyze carpooling from a new perspective, investigating the question of whether it can be used also as a tool to favor social integration, and to what extent social benefits should be traded off with transportation efficiency. By incorporating traveler’s social characteristics into a recently introduced network-based approach to model ride-sharing opportunities, we define two social-related carpooling problems: how to maximize the number of rides shared between people belonging to different social groups, and how to maximize the amount of time people spend together along the ride. For each of the problems, we provide corresponding optimal and computationally efficient solutions. We then demonstrate our approach on two datasets collected in the city of Pisa, Italy, and Cambridge, US, and quantify the potential social benefits of carpooling, and how they can be traded off with traditional transportation-related metrics. When collectively considered, the models, algorithms, and results presented in this paper broaden the perspective from which carpooling problems are typically analyzed to encompass multiple disciplines including urban planning, public policy, and social sciences.

TECHNOLOGICAL AND SOCIAL RETROFIT STRATEGIES FOR THE PUBLIC RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS OF THE SECOND POST-WAR

This experimental study on the renewal of post-World War II suburban areas addresses the theme of the technological retrofitting of buildings, focusing on typological features, construction techniques and, more in general, of all aspects that fail to meet the needs of contemporary living. An initial examination of Italian and international case studies helped to identify possible guidelines for the optimization of urban renewal activities. The guidelines were tested by applying them to a case study: a 1950s-era neighborhood in the city of Pisa. The study undertaken highlights the need to consistently integrate all of the activities that affect the building structures-consolidations and static adjustments, improvement of energy efficiency, functional and spatial adaptation-and that work towards strengthening social integration by taking into account the specific needs of the individual. The work is implemented on individual buildings and urban areas, with the aim of improving the local identity characteristics. The suggested approach is that of a circular economy, which helps to reduce the impact on the environment, mainly through the extensive use of recycled materials. The proposed experiment thus aims to test the resilience of buildings following their seismic, energy and functional updating, including sociological and environmental psychology assessments, with particular attention to vulnerable users, in order to find solutions capable of promoting social inclusion.

Improving Sustainability in Architectural Research: Biopsychosocial Requirements in the Design of Urban Spaces

There is an ever increasing interest in identifying the links between architecture and public health and in how urban design can positively influence the latter. The psychology of sustainability and sustainable development represents an innovative research area as a recent contribution to sustainability science and its trans-disciplinary configuration. The research topic deals with the importance and the centrality of the user-centered approach in the observation of the relationships among mankind, technological systems, and built environments, for projects that guarantee the conditions of physical, mental, and social well-being. Starting from the plurality of different disciplinary sectors, from anthropometry and sociology to psychology, “human experience” and user’s expectations are explored, understood, and systematized. The analysis of the relationship between health and urban design has allowed researchers to identify design strategies to improve the level of urban livability. The city of Pisa is the case study; mobility within the city is redefined through various levels of the use of space so that paths and areas of inclusion and socialization are re-valued, while new scenarios for some urban spaces open up. In this perspective, the design strategies synthetically follow two main directions: the re-appropriation of these places by the citizens and, at the same time, the promotion of their well-being from both a physical and psychological point of view.

Il quartiere stazione di Pisa fra trasformazione e conflitto

Abstract – The city of Pisa (Italy) has experienced in the last decade a high level of migration from countries of Northern and Central Africa, Eastern Europe and China. As often happens, the migrants of different ethnic groups are located in the neighborhood around the train station, both as regards the commercial activities and the housing. In addition, several areas of the district are used by migrants as a meeting place. From the point of view of the urban landscape, the district has experienced considerable demographic and visual transformations, which are an indication of conflict and the level of integration of migrants among themselves and with Italians residents. This article aims to show, in a diachronic perspective, the changes in the urban landscape occurred in the neighborhood and the elements of conflict that results, among other elements, from the analysis of the ordinances of the police recently posted in the district.

Field-Trial of a High-Budget, Filterless, $\lambda$ -to-the-User, UDWDM-PON Enabled by an Innovative Class of Low-Cost Coherent Transceivers

We experimentally demonstrate an innovative ultradense wavelength division multiplexing (UDWDM) passive optical networks (PON) that implements the full $\lambda \text {-to-the-user}$ concept in a filterless distribution network. Key element of the proposed system is a novel class of coherent transceivers, purposely developed with a nonconventional technical approach. Indeed, they are designed and realized to avoid D/A–A/D converter stages and digital signal processing in favor of simple analog processing so that they match system, cost, and power consumption requirements of the access networks without sacrificing the overall performance. These coherent transceivers target different use case scenarios (residential, business, fixed, wireless) still keeping perfect compatibility and co-existence with legacy infrastructures installed to support gray, time division multiplexed PON systems. Moreover, the availability of coherent transceivers of different cost/performance ratios allows for deployments of different quality service grades. In this paper, we report the successful field trial of the proposed systems in a testbed where 14 UDWDM channels (and one legacy E-PON system) are transmitted simultaneously in a dark-fiber network deployed in the city of Pisa (Italy), delivering real-time and/or test traffic. The trial demonstrated filterless operations (each remote node selects individually its own UDWDM channel on a fine $\text{6.25}\text{-}\text {GHz}$ grid), real-time GbE transmissions (by using either fully analog or light digital signal processing), multirate transmission ( $\text{1.25}\; \text{and}\; \text{10}\,\text {Gb/s}$ ), high optical distribution network loss (18–40 dB) as well as a bidirectional channel monitoring system.

Why are there Two Medieval Copies of the Holy Sepulcher in Pisa? A Comparative Analysis of San Sepolcro and the Baptistery

Multiple cities in the Middle Ages built architectural copies of monuments from the Holy sites in Jerusalem. Unusually, the city of Pisa founded not one but two architectural representations of a s...

Detection of traffic congestion and incidents from GPS trace analysis

This paper presents an expert system for detecting traffic congestion and incidents from real-time GPS data collected from GPS trackers or drivers’ smartphones. First, GPS traces are pre-processed and placed in the road map. Then, the system assigns to each road segment of the map a traffic state based on the speeds of the vehicles. Finally, it sends to the users traffic alerts based on a spatiotemporal analysis of the classified segments. Each traffic alert contains the affected area, a traffic state (e.g., incident, slowed traffic, blocked traffic), and the estimated velocity of vehicles in the area. The proposed system is intended to be a valuable support tool in traffic management for municipalities and citizens. The information produced by the system can be successfully employed to adopt actions for improving the city mobility, e.g., regulate vehicular traffic, or can be exploited by the users, who may spontaneously decide to modify their path in order to avoid the traffic jam. The elaboration performed by the expert system is independent of the context (urban o non-urban) and may be directly employed in several city road networks with almost no change of the system parameters, and without the need for a learning process or historical data. The experimental analysis was performed using a combination of simulated GPS data and real GPS data from the city of Pisa. The results on incidents show a detection rate of 91.6%, and an average detection time lower than 7min. Regarding congestion, we show how the system is able to recognize different levels of congestion depending on different road use.

PSInSAR analysis in urban areas: a case study in the Arno coastal plain (Italy

The Permanent Scatterer Interferometry (PSI) has been used to detect the land subsidence of the Arno coastal plain, in particular within the urban area of the city of Pisa. Two satellite PSInSAR dataset (ERS 1/2 and Envisat) were used to quantify the spatial evolution of ground displacements. A set of 92 geotechnical borehole was also analyzed to relate the measured displacements with the local stratigraphic asset. Furthermore, the results of the interferometric data analysis were compared with the urban development, from1978 to 2013, of the eastern part of Pisa. The PSInSAR data show that the city of Pisa is divided in two sectors with different subsidence rates: the south - western part, with null or very small movements, and the eastern part that shows a general lowering with maximum velocities of 5 mm/yr. In the eastern part, single or small groups of buildings recorded subsidence rates higher than 15 mm/yr. Through the analysis of the temporal evolution and magnitude of the subsidence rates recorded by several buildings in these areas, the importance of the urbanization as an accelerating factor for the consolidation process have been demonstrated.

Influence of Holocene stratigraphic architecture on ground surface settlements: A case study from the City of Pisa (Tuscany, Italy)

The Holocene stratigraphic architecture of modern coastal and deltaic plains has peculiar characteristics that may influence ground surface settlements. In the Pisa urban area, the inhomogeneous spatial distribution of geotechnically weak layers, typically formed during the mid–late Holocene (highstand) coastal progradation, is inferred to be responsible for urban ground settlement and building damage, as evidenced by the tilt of several surface structures, among which the famous Leaning Tower of Pisa is the most prominent. On the basis of integrated stratigraphic, sedimentological and geotechnical data from a wide georeferenced database, three facies associations with high deformability potential (Units 1–3) are identified in the uppermost 30m as opposed to depositional facies (Units 4–5) with higher geotechnical strength. Whereas Unit 1 represents a thick, laterally extensive lagoonal clay deposit, the overlying highly deformable units (Units 2–3) show more discontinuous spatial distribution controlled by the Holocene paleohydrographic evolution of the Arno coastal plain. Unit 2, dated between the Neolithic and the Etruscan age (ca. 5000–2000yr BP), is composed of swamp clays and silty clays recording lagoon infilling due to Arno Delta progradation. Units 3 and 4, which consist of wet levee deposits and stiff floodplain clays, respectively, formed during the subsequent phases of alluvial plain construction started around the Roman age (from ca. 2000yr BP). Whereas Units 3 and 4 are recorded within the uppermost 5m, fluvial and distributary channel sands (Unit 5) cut the underlying deltaic–alluvial succession at various stratigraphic levels, down to Unit 1. The spatial distribution of these units gives rise to three, locally juxtaposed, stratigraphic motifs in Pisa underground, reflecting different potential risks for settlement under building loads. We show how lateral changes in stratigraphic architecture account for the irregular spatial distribution of geotechnically weak layers that are responsible for building damage and ground settlement.

Viaje a Italia a través de las Cantigas Historiadas de Alfonso X el Sabio

In the year 1256, the city of Pisa sent several embassies to Soria to propose to Alfonso X the candidacy to occupy the Imperial throne. These embassies appealed to the existence of blood ties that binded Alfonso the Wise to the Staufen dynasty. The offer made by these Italian ambassadors culminated in an imperial policy that had a great impact in the artistic production of Alfonso X. In the case of the Cantigas de Santa Maria, it is possible to find miracles that took place in different Italian cities that were very important due to their relation to the Holy Roman Empire, as well as allusions and representations of important figures of the Imperial field—such as Conrad IV—or of works of art that were created in Italy at that moment in time. Through these artistic and literary expressions, it is possible that Alfonso X wanted to create a record of a Journey to the Empire that never happened, of an imperial aspiration that could never take place. The analysis of these artistic expressions can contribute valuable information regarding the relations between both countries and the artistic production carried out in each of them.

Influence of inherited topography on the Holocene sedimentary evolution of coastal systems: An example from Arno coastal plain (Tuscany, Italy)

Understanding the relative control exerted by autogenic factors, such as changes in sediment supply, local subsidence and inherited topography, is of crucial interest for a thorough comprehension of the sedimentary evolution of late Quaternary coastal systems. Through an example from the Arno coastal plain, in Tuscany, we show to what extent sedimentation of the Holocene succession, even after the time of maximum marine ingression, was influenced by the presence of a buried 5–7 km-wide incised-valley system, generated by the Arno River during the late Pleistocene in response to the last glacial sea-level fall. A prominent stratigraphic marker (locally known as “ pancone”), ca. 5–15 m thick, made up of extremely soft and homogeneous organic-rich clays, is reported from the upper 20–30 m of the mid-Holocene succession buried beneath the Arno coastal plain. High-resolution stratigraphy, integrated with microfossil investigations, enables detailed facies characterization and mapping of this marker horizon. At proximal-most locations, “ pancone” consists of thin lagoonal deposits sandwiched between backswamp clays. Around the city of Pisa and at more distal locations, this stratigraphic marker is made up almost entirely of lagoonal clays with lateral transition to backswamp deposits. The development of “ pancone” was triggered by an abrupt transgressive pulse that led to the ultimate flooding of the Arno paleovalley. This transgressive event occurred shortly after a widespread episode of sub-aerial exposure and climate deterioration related to the 8200 yr BP cold event. Confinement of the mid-Holocene (“ pancone”) lagoon into an area formerly occupied by the post-glacial Arno incised-valley system, along with transition to backswamp facies in coincidence of the former interfluves, is interpreted to reflect the higher compaction of the less indurated valley-fill relative to the adjacent, stiff Pleistocene substratum. The local increase in land subsidence contributed to the prolonged persistence of a 6 km-wide lagoonal system, encompassing the peak of Holocene transgression and the early phases of decelerated sea-level rise (up to ca. 6000 cal yr BP). The Arno coastal plain thus offers a good illustration of how inherited topography, due to the presence of formerly active incised valleys, may influence the Holocene evolution of coastal plains, favoring local development and preservation of topographic lows.

Diagnosis and referral of rheumatoid arthritis by primary care physician: results of a pilot study on the city of Pisa, Italy

The aims of the present study were to evaluate, in the city of Pisa: (1) the prevalence of rheumatoid arthritis; (2) the reliability of the prevalence estimated by primary care physicians, using the rheumatologist's diagnosis as the "gold standard" and (3) the economic impact of the disease. The Tuscany registry of primary care physicians constituted the framework from which a sample of subjects was selected. The rheumatoid arthritis (RA) subjects >18 years followed by each primary care physician constituted the population studied. Each general practitioner (GP) was asked to fill out a questionnaire regarding their patients affected by RA and to send it to the tertiary rheumatologic centre, where the diagnosis was confirmed/discarded, the clinical and epidemiological data were collected in a standardized form and a number of data for the estimation of costs were gathered. The estimated prevalence of RA was 5.1 per thousand (CI, 4.4-5.7). The reliability of general practitioners in the diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis was on the whole 69%. However, when an analysis of every physician was carried out, a high degree of heterogeneity in the prevalence of RA per physician was found. Overall, the mean annual cost per patient with RA was estimated at about 5,878 euro (euro; median, 6,434 euro; inter quartile range, 669-7,052 euro), with a high variability mainly dependent on the degree of patient disability. More than 90% of the overall annual cost per patient was due to the medical and non-medical direct components of costs. The prevalence of RA in Tuscany seems highly comparable with similar prevalence studies in Italy. The annual cost per patient with RA was highly variable and strictly dependent on the level of disability. More than 90% of the overall cost was due to the direct burden of costs.

Perspectives for a strategical mapping of soundscapes

The transposition of the European Noise Directive by Member States gives a new way to action plans of urban areas, underlying (article 6 and Annex III) that dose‐effect relations should be used to assess the effect of noise on populations. Particular interest, in this sense, has the relationship between annoyance and perceived soundscape: it is now almost accepted that a higher annoyance is not always proportional to higher noise levels. This paper will demonstrate that a way to move from mapping noise exposure to a map of annoyance passes through the characterization of the soundscapes present on the territory. A numerical indicator (“slope”), derived from the time history of the measured sound/noise, will in fact be used to characterize the evolution along the day of the soundscapes present in the city of Pisa (I). In particular, “slope” (correlated to annoyance in previous studies) will be used to prepare a map of the annoyance in selected areas of Pisa: predicted annoyance will be to be compared with the one extrapolated by noise levels. Differences, similarities and their effects on action plans will be discussed.