Territorial Impact Research Articles

Is It Possible to Establish an Economic Trend Correlating Territorial Assessment Indicators and Earth Observation? A Critical Analysis of the Pandemic Impact in an Italian Region

The paper is set within the methodological framework of the Territorial Impact Assessment (TIA) process, which is an instrument designed to facilitate sustainable and cohesive policy-making choices at the European level. The article is developed within the context of a European H2020-RICE cooperative project, which utilises the STeMA (Sustainable Territorial Economic/Environmental Management Approach) TIA methodology to investigate the potential relationship between statistical economic indicators, specifically Gross Domestic Product, and related parameters (metadata), and Earth Observation (EO) data. The objective is to provide evidence of socioeconomic trends during the Coronavirus 2019 pandemic in the Lazio Region (Italy), with a particular focus on the metropolitan area of the Rome capital city Rome. In line with the pertinent European context and the scientific literature on the subject, the paper examines the potential for combining classical and Earth observation indicators to assess macroeconomic dimensions of development, specifically in terms of gross domestic product (GDP). The results of the analysis indicate the presence of certain correlations between grey data and EO information. The STeMA-TIA approach allows for the measurement and correlation of both qualitative and quantitative statistical indicators with typological functional areas (in accordance with European Commission-EC and Committee of Ministers responsible for Spatial/Regional Planning—CEMAT guidance) at the NUTS (Nomenclature des unités territoriales statistiques) 2 and 3 levels. This facilitates the territorialisation of information, enabling the indirect comparison of data with satellite data and economic trends. A time series of data was gathered and organised for the purpose of facilitating comparison between different periods, beginning with 2019 and extending to the present day. In order to measure and monitor the evolution of the selected territorial economies (the Lazio Region), a synthetic index (or composite indicator) was developed in the economic and epidemic dimensions. This index combines single values of indicators according to a specific STeMA methodology. It is important to note that there are some critical observations to be made about the impact on GDP, due to the discrepancy between the indicators in the two fields of observation.

Innovation in the territorial impact assessment: an application to large infrastructure projects of the Italian recovery and resilience facility

ABSTRACT The Territorial Impact Assessment (TIA) has evolved significantly over the past two decades, becoming a pivotal tool in shaping European public policy. Initially, TIA aimed to tailor investments to the specific needs of various territories, ensuring allignement with broader EU and national objectives. The assessment of European Cohesion Policy 2014–20 highligthed the TIA’s utility in guiding sustainable development decisions. The integration of TIA into the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) marks a notable shift, emphasising sustainability in policy planning and the allocation of funds. This paper outlined how TIA can be embedded within the RRF’s planning and evaluation mechanisms, using Italian large infrastructure projects as an example. The incorporation of TIA into a multifaceted evaluation framework, which encompasses both economic-financial and sustainability considerations utilising the Sustainable Environmental/Economic Management Approach (STeMA) model, demonstrates its effective integration. This approach balances economic viability with environmental and social sustainability aligning with the EU Green Deal pillars and the Territorial Agenda 2030. It also ensures adherence to economic and financial considerations coming from cost-benefit analysis, while also upholding sustainability under the ‘do no significant harm’ principle. This match thus could foster a more resilient and sustainable future for EU territories.

Assessing the spatiotemporal impacts of land use change on ecological environmental quality using a regionalized territorial impact assessment framework

Integrating ecosystem services into development assessments is crucial for sustainable urban and societal development. This requires a detailed examination of how land use change affects the spatial and temporal dynamics of ecological environmental quality (EEQ), considering regional variations. This study investigates the intricate relationship between land use change and EEQ by referring to the Territorial Impact Assessment (TIA) framework and introducing a novel concept of regional sensitivity. Focusing on Guangdong Province, China, from 2000 to 2020, the study analyzes the spatiotemporal evolution of EEQ at the county level in response to land use change. The findings show an initial decline in EEQ followed by a recovery, with an overall slight upward trend, evident in the Pearl River Delta and northern regions. The study also identifies areas encompassing nearly half the province's total area that experienced EEQ degradation during the study period. By applying the TIA framework with regional sensitivity indicators, this research not only contributes to improved EEQ change assessment methodologies but also informs the development of more regionally-specific sustainable land use and urban development policies. Ultimately, this study provides scientific support for navigating the challenges of achieving sustainable urban development in the face of evolving environmental conditions.

Dam Construction, Company Towns and Planned Urban Development: The Example of Salto del Esla, Spain

ABSTRACT Company towns are integral to the urban and territorial changes wrought by the Industrial Revolution, especially in remote, resource-rich areas. Among these, villages constructed alongside dams stand out due to their profound territorial impact. This study focuses on one such unique settlement near the Ricobayo dam in Zamora, Spain, exploring its construction and environmental integration. At its inception, Ricobayo was Europe’s largest dam, its creation marked by notable feats like relocating a church, and pioneering hydraulic engineering and bridge construction, including a record-breaking design by Torroja. The adjacent company town set a precedent for creating liveable spaces for workers in isolated locales, influencing later developments. Research included on-site investigations, archival work at Iberdrola’s Historical Archive, and review of historical texts, underscoring the cultural and landscape significance of 20th-century dam settlements and the distinctive features of Ricobayo’s surroundings.

Computational social science in regional analysis and the European real estate market

ABSTRACT The recent so-called ‘data revolution’ offers unprecedented opportunities to innovate regional policies. New data sources are being widely used by the scientific community, however their uptake is far from being systematic in the policy cycle, where data innovation can improve territorial impact assessment. This paper presents a survey on the use of non-traditional data in the context of regional policy, together with a case study on real estate markets of three European countries, highlighting the perspectives and limitations of computational social science in regional analysis in terms of data quality and availability.

Territorial Impact Assessment for Coal Sites in Transition

This article describes a part of the POTENTIALS project promoted by the Research Fund for Coal and Steel (RFCS) of the EU, which, in general, has aimed to develop business models for the reuse of former industrial and mining sites in different European regions. The goal of this project focused on the creation of so-called eco-industrial parks to enable sustainable energy production and reduce waste and pollution on coal sites in transition. A key aspect was the development of a suitable territorial impact assessment (TIA), a new and complex policy tool for the assessment of the territorial impacts of EU policies and projects on territorial cohesion. Therefore, the special TEQUILA (Territorial Efficiency, Quality and Identity Layer Assessment) approach is used to describe the TIA for this case and emphasizes its application in assessing ex ante the impacts of the transition from a coal site to an eco-industrial park. It underlines the need for a differentiated understanding of the regional characteristics and potential impacts of transition policies or projects. Furthermore, the process and results of applying the TEQUILA methodology, a multicriteria analysis, in the context of regionalized impact models has shown how important it is to select well-defined, expert-based criteria, but at the same time, to establish a system that is flexible and adaptable to the needs of political decision makers and stakeholders considering the normative weights of the criteria. This has been illustrated by some examples.

Overview of Brazilian Higher Education: The Perspective of the Civil Engineering Program

This scientific article proposes an enhanced analysis of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in Brazil, focusing on Public HEIs (Federal, State, and Municipal) and Private HEIs (Community-based, Confessional, Philanthropic, and for-profit). The adopted approach stems from a meticulous historical analysis of face-to-face Civil Engineering courses, considering the various intermediary regions in Brazil. The study is based on data from the National Higher Education Assessment System (SINAES), the Higher Education Census, as well as demographic and territorial data provided by IBGE, and information from CONFEA. The theoretical framework of this article is grounded in the essential concepts of Brazilian Higher Education, Higher Education Institutions, the National Higher Education Assessment System, Civil Engineering Courses, and the Civil Construction Industry. A relevant factor incorporated into this analysis is the impact of territory, encompassing not only physical and environmental characteristics but also cultural and infrastructural issues.

Reinforcing territorial impact assessments in Czechia: policy agendas and future scenarios

ABSTRACT This paper reveals the current state of territorial impact assessments (TIAs) and place-sensitive policymaking in Czechia, a Central European country that joined a pilot action intended to contribute to the territorial priorities of the strategic framework, the ‘Territorial Agenda 2030’. We traced the steps that were gradually taken at the national level towards the implementation of the Territorial Agenda and TIAs, including the identification of obstacles. We explored and described newly implemented mechanisms that should contribute to strengthening TIAs. We argue that the essential factors for successful implementation include a sound methodology without an administrative burden, the adjustment of institutional settings and environment, a strengthening of trust among all responsible actors and a willingness to deal with the territorial impacts of sectoral policies. Moreover, we establish that place-sensitive tools are still rather underutilized and call for an increased effort to present the best practices and results of impact evaluations from various regional contexts and environments.

Spa(tia) – a diffusion-oriented method of territorial impact assessment

ABSTRACT In this paper we consider the options for policymakers in performing territorial impact assessment (TIA) of various policies. Hybrid methods combining stakeholder involvement with systematic statistical analysis are a good compromise between the analytical capabilities of the tool and the required time and resources needed to use it. However, the existing hybrid methods focus on the direct effects of the intervention, while neglecting the territorial diffusion of the policy outcomes. To address this gap, we propose a new method, which uses a spatial proximity matrix to incorporate diffusion effects into TIA. We discuss an example application of the new method for the ex-ante evaluation of the ‘European Funds for Western Pomerania’ programme.

A GIS-Based Approach for Shallow Landslides Risk Assessment in the Giampilieri and Briga Catchments Areas (Sicily, Italy)

Shallow landslides pose a widely growing hazard and risk, globally and particularly in Mediterranean areas. The implementation of adequate adaptation and mitigation measures necessarily requires the development of practical and affordable methodologies and technologies for assessing the shallow landslides hazard and its territorial impact. The assessment of shallow landslide hazard maps involves two different and sequential steps: the susceptibility and the runout analysis, respectively, aimed at the identification of the initiation and the propagation areas. This paper describes the application in the Giampilieri and Briga Villages area (Sicily, Italy) of a shallow landslide risk process at a basin scale with an innovative approach in the runout assessment segment. The runout analysis was conducted using specific GIS tools employing an empirical–geometric approach at a basin scale. The exposure and vulnerability values of the elements at risk were assigned using a qualitative and semi-quantitative approach, respectively. The results highlight the effectiveness of the procedure in producing consistent runout hazard and risk assessments in the valley areas where the more important and vulnerable exposed elements are located. This study contributes to addressing the public administration demand for valuable and user-friendly tools to manage and drive regional planning.

Information curation in agroecology and territorial development: protocols for the management of digital collections

With the advancement of digital communication technologies, the need for protocols to establish governance, rules, or procedures in information network relationships arose. The protocols for the management and dissemination of digital collections follow procedures from Information Science, Open Scientific Communication, and Computing. In the context of this work that investigates the formation of an associative network between three universities to execute a Postgraduate Program in Agroecology and Territorial Development (PPGADT), the previous diagnosis identified decentralized flows for collection, storage, treatment, and dissemination of academic production; growth of online publications; and their dispersion across different storage devices, increasing the risk of loss of institutional memory. From this perspective, this study aimed to review the literature to analyze the current theoretical approaches to support the construction of a knowledge dissemination protocol in the PPGADT network. The conducting method was bibliographical research. The results point to the relevance of knowledge about agroecology and territorial development for the dynamism of the economy, public policies on territorial impact, sustainability, and strengthening of the identity of rural producers. It is concluded that the multi-institutional collections network is one of the strategies for integrating and disseminating networked knowledge in the domain analyzed here.

Evaluación del Impacto Territorial, Análisis de Costes y Beneficios y principio de No Causar Daños Significativos para el diseño de obras y planes sostenibles

Economic, financial, and spatial analytical models are known to be integral parts of large territorial works and plans. Cost Benefit Analysis (CBA) and, newly, Territorial Impact Assessment (TIA) and Do Not Significant Harms principle (DNSH) are required to support the decision-making and evaluation process underlying climate change, initial strategic investment confirmation and final reporting. Looking at them from an economic-geographical perspective and drawing inspiration from ongoing experiences in Europe and Italy, methodological and operational guidelines are suggested in the paper to address this issue, so that both the environmental and social costs are reflected in the costs/prices/returns and in the mitigation of the public works impacts, creating a strong link between economy, territory, and environment, so that externalities can become internalities. The underlying thesis is that, knowing the territorial impacts generated by the TIA and the sustainable consistency of the project with the DNSH taxonomy, it is possible to adopt compensatory and mitigation actions, including in the related CBAs; and, at the same time, to minimise the costs resulting from the lack of policy coordination in territorial action between regional and local plans, both horizontal and vertical, when large infrastructure projects come from top-down decision as in the case of Recovery and Resilience Facility plan

Using the Impact-WEB_GIS Platform to Assess the Impacts of Environmental Sustainability Public Policies in the Lisbon Metropolitan Area

Urban environmental sustainability is a growing concern within the United Nations and the European Union’s ongoing policy agendas to fight climate change. This paper contributes to this debate by presenting the main impacts of the Operational Programme for Sustainability and Use of Resources (POSEUR 2014–2020) in the Lisbon Metropolitan Area (NUTS II). The analysis was completed using the Impact-WEB_GIS platform, specially developed for this study, supported by a territorial impact assessment methodology. In addition to the production of general impact scores, five analytic dimensions were further analysed, supported by state-of-the-art (i) low-emissions economy, (ii) adaptation to climate change, (iii) risk prevention and management, (iv) environmental protection and (v) resource efficiency. At a strategic level, the research created awareness of the need to adjust regional policy to the region’s characteristics on environmental sustainability matters.

Territorial Dynamics Supported by a Collaborative Network of Innovation Labs: Toward an Approach to Establish a Portfolio of Indicators to Monitor and Assess their Territorial Impact

The multiplication of apparently similar Innovation Labs throughout the local territories raises questions about their role and their positioning. Innovation Labs are generally supplied by local resources. This substantial growth could facilitate the connection of various regions within a territory, thereby creating new areas for experimentation. The public authorities need these labs to bring added value to their territory. This study shows that a network of Innovation Labs could be a strategic means to support territorial dynamics at a local scale. The literature does not provide concrete tools, resources, and methods to evaluate the territorial impacts of Innovation Labs. Furthermore, no literature review regarding the networking of Innovation Labs in a territory has yet been conducted. This paper begins to fill this gap and shows that the linking of innovation labs can support territorial dynamics. Through a review of the literature, research trends pertaining to territorial dynamics and innovation laboratories were identified. The contribution of this paper is the proposal of an approach to design a system of indicators to analyze a network of ILs adapted to a local territory as well as a portfolio of indicators. These results will allow us to follow the evolution of these labs, their interactions and their impacts on a local territory.

TCT-104 Prognostic Impact of Ischemic Territory and Revascularization Strategy in Acute Myocardial Infarction Complicating Cardiogenic Shock Patients With Multivessel Disease

TCT-104 Prognostic Impact of Ischemic Territory and Revascularization Strategy in Acute Myocardial Infarction Complicating Cardiogenic Shock Patients With Multivessel Disease

Spatial and social aspects of the impact of Pol’and’Rock Festival and Jarocin Festival in Poland

Among the popular music festivals operating in Poland in the last forty years, two of them played a special role, especially for their young recipients of amplified music. The first of them was the Rock Festival in Jarocin (it had different names) functioning in the years 1980–1994, so still in the period of communist authorities. Reactivated in 2005, it recently operates under the name Jarocin Festival and uses the legend of the event from the 1980s. In the new socio-political conditions, the second important event, the Pol’and’Rock Festival (called Woodstock Station in 1995–2017), began to function in 1995, which in the late 1990s exceeded 100,000 participants and became the largest popular music event in Poland. The aim of the study is to characterise the impact of these two important popular music festivals in Poland at the turn of the second and third decade of the 21st century in the spatial and socio-cultural dimensions on the community of its participants. Referring to the traditional chorological paradigm of human geography, an analysis of the differentiation of the territorial impact of festivals was made, and using patterns immersed in social geography-oriented music research, factors motivating to participate in festivals were determined.

Territorial Impact of the Agriculture Vocational Education in Albania

The agricultural vocational education secondary school (AVESS) system in Albania, is organized through 8 institutions located in various regions, that tend to respond to entire the national demand, giving equal opportunities to all interested students, regardless of their place of residence. In these regards, the Albanian government has implemented several measures to attract students to integrate AVESS and facilitate their integration in the labor market. Despite the various measures, including financial support or adapted facilities for students coming from families with low income or from remote areas. The territorial impact of AVES remains limited and shows a relatively low coverage. This phenomenon is not exclusive to agricultural professional schools that do not have dormitories, but even to vocational schools that have dormitories and adequate facilities. Aiming towards a sustainable agricultural sector development and an efficient sectoral labor market, that tends to guarantee equal opportunities for the new generations, the objectives of the study are AVESS Gap identification, factors that impact AVESS attendance, assessment of the impact of governmental measures, and proposing recommendations for a sustainable AVESS system. To understand what are the main factors that influence the territorial impact of AVESS, a consolidated assessment has been performed during 2020-2021, passing through desk research, screening, focus groups, working groups, experts and agricultural representative interviews, and visit to relevant agricultural businesses, workshops, and dedicated surveys targeting teachers, students, and local businesses. Out of the assessment results, family income is the main factor influencing AVESS attendance. Regardless if schools have dormitory facilities or not, as the distance between students’ homes and the vocational school’s location increases, family income also tends to increase, but at a decreasing rate. Students coming from families with modest incomes show a lower mobility and beyond a certain distance they are less likely to register in AVESS located far from their residence. By testing three main hypotheses, it has been noticed that home-school distance negatively affects the attendance of students coming from families with lower incomes. In other words, family income plays a significant role in determining school attendance, particularly when considering the distance between students' homes and AVESS. Considering this finding and the low AVESS territorial impact, imply that the governmental financial incentives have a low impact and do not offer equal opportunities to all students, especially the ones residing far away from AVESS and coming from families with low incomes. In this context, new policies could be taken into account, such as enlarging the number of AVESS or evaluating the possibility to open agricultural vocational education secondary classes in general high schools located in rural areas.

Digitalization in Trail Running: Digital Tools as Sustainable Outdoor Infrastructure

Studies focusing on the territorial impact of outdoor activities rarely take into account the use of digital tools, such as digital mobile devices and applications. However, these digital tools can serve as sustainable outdoor infrastructure. While digital technology is not universally embraced by trail runners today, consumer studies confirm a growing usage of digital equipment. To provide a concrete example of how digital tools are used and their potential, our study aimed to understand the patterns of digital use among trail runners in France. Through an online questionnaire study (n = 699), we found four main logics of digital use: (1) playful visit, (2) tourist discovery, (3) performance analysis, and (4) social use. Among all forms of use, the most commonly mentioned applications used by respondents during their trail runs were Strava, Garmin, and Suunto. Overall, trail runners demonstrated a high proficiency in digital use, with 95% reporting the use of these applications.

The Olympic Village and the Olympic Urbanism: Perception and Expectations of Olympic Specialists

The editions of the Olympic Games (OG) created a major urban transformation, which allowed for a new critical perspective on the new urban dimension of the Mega-Event, especially in the construction of the three main physical elements built: the athletics stadium, the swimming pool facilities and, above all, the “Olympic Village”. The study analyses the Winter and Summer Olympic Villages (OV) in a general way with a particular focus on the relationship between the OV and the urban fabric. The interdependence between the city and the OG has evolved through new models of development of the Olympic event that has marked the importance of the OV in the processes of city transformation. The lack of previous studies allows us to affirm the importance of the study for the academic debate on the future of the OV. The study will use quantitative analysis to analyse the different variables and responses of the Olympic specialists who participated in the sample. The study will make it possible to observe the perceptions and expectations of the interviewees through statistical analysis. Moreover, considering that only one symposium was organised in the Olympic history in 1996, the following survey is a solid basis for designing future OV in the candidate cities. The organisation of a new symposium almost thirty years after the 1996 one is of fundamental importance to discuss the territorial impact, organisational models, heritage, infrastructure, participation, housing, social change and territorial transformations.

THE INTEGRATED TERRITORIAL DEVELOPMENT TOOLS - A KEY COMPONENT OF THE EUROPEAN COHESION POLICY

The publication aims to study the implementation of the instruments for integrated territorial development in the EU in the context of the Cohesion policy. The research framework covers a literature review and a critical comment on the concept of the idea of introducing an integrated territorial approach to achieve convergence, emphasizing the applicable three territorial development approaches in the Member States: Community-Led Local Development, Sustainable Urban Development and Integrated territorial investments. Key conclusions are drawn, which are the result of an analysis of secondary data on the financial performance of the territorial development approaches for the 2014-2020 planning period. The authors focus on the specific challenges that the EU faces in measuring the effectiveness of the integrated territorial instruments in the new programming period. This study also puts an emphasis on the need for the development of a new generation of territorial impact assessment methods, instruments and indicators for measuring combined actions capable of evaluating the integration of EU. Based on an expert assessment of interrelationships, specific recommendations are made to over-come the challenges of implementing and monitoring of the instruments for integrated territorial development during the new programming period.