RISULTATI RICERCA

The ageing and the mobility within the Florence metropolitan area Objectives The recent forms of social and economic organization over the territory highlight the increasing trend of the degree of spatial interconnection and interdependence. An adequate way of studying a city or a region consists therefore in considering it as a part of a wider network of spatial relations. In this work we study the ageing and the mobility within the Florence metropolitan area (constituted by the counties of Firenze, Pistoia and Prato). Methods and Results Firstly we look at the evolution of the demographic structural characteristics over time and space and, secondly, at the mobility within the area through a spatial interaction model. Conclusions The findings highlight the existence of a specific population profile characterised mainly by families with children: they reside in the South-East area of the metropolitan area but, at the same time, they daily commute to Firenze and Prato for working and study reasons.

Economic disparities and context variables. A non-parametric analysis for Italian regions Objectives The paper provides a ranking of performance scores, originated by indicators of economic and social context, in order to compare the position of each region relative to the others over the period 1997-2003. Methods and Results Indicators of economic and social context are associated to development indicators. The Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) in bootstrap version allows us to define the worst and the best case scenarios of regional performances. The results show a persistent disparity between Center-North and Mezzogiorno over the period 1997-2003. However, some relevant differences amongst regions, within macroareas, provide interesting points to debate. Conclusions Notwithstanding some differences within macro-areas, Italy still appears a dualistic country. The results show that the social context is relevant to accurately analyse the development disparities amongst the Italian regions. Finally, an interpretation of our results indicates a possible risk of failure of the current Government’s intervention.

A model for sustainability assessment at the local level: the case of Varese Objectives This paper illustrates an innovative methodological approach to carry out sustainability assessment at the local level and presents results from the application of the model to the Province of Varese (Italy). The general aim of the project is to assist in integrating sustainable development (SD) objectives into local policy objectives, through an innovative approach for the evaluation of local systems. More specific objectives are to identify ways to generate better strategies and projects promoting SD and to provide a tool which can assist local authorities in assessing the sustainability of their territorial systems. Methods and Results For the purposes of this study, the operational definition of sustainable development is the provision of services and benefits that increase human well-being without causing a decline in capital stocks. Types of capital that sustain well-being, because of their levels and distribution, include man-made, natural, human and social capital. A key issue for SD is the extent to which different types of capital can be substituted for each other. When substitution at the margin is possible, depletion of one type of capital is consistent with sustainability if it can be offset by an increase in other types. However, different types of capital are not always substitutable. For example, in the presence of critical thresholds for some resources, the cost of further degradation may escalate rapidly, calling for policies that maintain the quality and resilience of these resources. The application of the model to a local system, such as the province of Varese, made a contribution to assessing to what degree different types of capital are truly substitutable. The tool could be used by local authorities to assess the quality of local development and to learn how to measure each kind of capital, how to define an exchange rate between them, describing the acceptable trade-offs. Conclusions This approach raises three issues for measuring sustainable development: -?the most socially desirable combination of the different types of capital in the total stock of capital, i. e. the stock that maximises social welfare now and in the future; ?the critical or minimum thresholds of each type of capital below which substitution is unacceptable; and the spatial and temporal boundaries within which measurement is defined.