The impacts of soil sealingThe case of the Emilia-Romagna

region in Italy

Nicola Filippi, Nicola Dall’Olio, Antonio Di Gennaro, Maria Paola Dosi, Nicola Laruccia,

Francesco Malucelli, Nazaria Marchi, Vittoria Montaletti, Alberto Pistocchi, Igor Villani

Emilia-Romagna Region

Emilia-Romagnafloodplain• Total area: 11K km2

• Population:

3 Mil.• Human Footprint: >50

(globally 28; Sanderson et al. 2003)

• Gross DomesticProduction per capita:24K Euro

• Average Settlement Areaper capita: 500 m2

(in EU 390 m2) • Climate: temperate sub oceanic

-

average annual air temperature between 9 and 16 °C-

mean annual precipitation from 520 to 820 mm

Regione Emilia-Romagna total area: 22K km2

Land take drivers in time periods 3 and 4: increasing relevance of property speculation, dependency of local authorities on income generated by urbanization fees, …

Demographicand land use trendin Emilia-Romagna

Po plain during the period 1861-2008 (values of 1861=100)

“Available land in search of constructive ideas for making a happy union”

A real bargain(?)

Phone # censured

Land UseEmilia-

Romagna Po plain

Urban land useSource of land take2003 Vs 1954

(modif. From: Montanarella 2010)

Basis for biomass production

Recognizing the multiple functions of soils

Filtering, buffering and transformation

Source of raw materials

Foundation for buildings

Historical medium

Habitat and gene reservoir

SOIL: defined as the top layer of earth’s crust situated between the bedrock and the surface, excluding groundwater.

Carbon Cycle

Sandy soils formed in ancient dunes of the coast-delta area

(CER1 Arenosol)Soil functions

present conditions after sealing

• Biomass production: ++ (acceptable)/

0 (none)

/++++ (excellent) unique farmland

• Storing and filtering: + (poor)

0 (none)

• Habitat: ++++ (excellent) UNESCO National Park

0 (none)

• Foundation for buildings: + (poor)

+ (poor)

• Source raw materials: ++++ (excellent)

0 (none)

• Carbon sink: ++ (acceptable)

0 (none)

• Archive and heritage: +++ (good)

+ (poor)

Loamy soils formed in the alluvial plain (BEL1 Cambisols)

Soil functions present conditions after sealing

• Biomass production: ++++ (excellent) 0 (none)

• Storing and filtering: +++ (good)

0 (none)

• Habitat: +++ (good)

0 (none)

• Foundation for buildings: +++ (good)

+++ (good)

• Source raw materials: + (poor)

0 (none)

• Carbon sink: ++++ (excellent) 0 (none)

• Archive and heritage: +++ (good)

+ (poor)

Loamy soils formed in the alluvial plain (BEL1)

Loamy soils formed in the alluvial plain (BEL1)

Longer journeys between home and work: higher energy consumptionLoss of ecosystem services (e.g. access to green areas): increases in some health problems

(modif. From: Montaletti et al.2010)

Water infiltration capacityWater infiltration allows using the soil as a sponge to reduce peak loads of rain

Infiltration capacity is high in Cerba soils (CER1) and moderate in Bellaria soils (BEL1)

Soil sealing increases the risk of flooding and flood damage.Providing compensatory flood detention volumes, through which

mitigating

floods, usually costs more than 100,000 Euro/ha

Cerba soils

runoffBellaria soils runoffRunoff after soil sealingRains

Amount of

water(m3/ha)

(modif. From: Pistocchi 2011)

Evapotranspiration reduction

• Evapotranspiration

induces water absorbing heat of the air, its reduction increases local air temperature

• Sealing of one hectare means

evapotranspiration reduction of some 7,000 m3

per year

To obtain the same cooling effect during summer, the energy needed is some 3.5 Million kWh, i.e. annual cost of 700,000 Euro

Sealing by industrial sites

CATEGORY OF INDUSTRIAL ACTIVITY (IPPC DIRECTIVE 2008/1/EC)

:

Installations

for

the manufacture

of

ceramic

products

(Annex

I 3.5)e.g. air: 11-17 contaminants; water: 5-7 contaminants

End of

pipe measures:-

Plant

Environmental

authorization

tarif

= 33,200 EURO/ha

-

Annual

monitoring

tarif

2,720 EURO/ha

Treatment for

the production of

food

products

from

vegetable

raw

materials (Annex

I 6.4b)

End of

pipe measures

:-

Plant

Environmental

authorization

tarif

= 3,000 EURO/ha

-

Annual

monitoring

tarif

= 1,000 EURO/ha

concerning Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control

Functions Loss & External Impacts

Soil take

Water sink capacity

Carbon sink

Soil multifunctionality

loss

Food loss

Artificially restorable

funtion

loss i.e. Hydraulic

Human density pressure

Contamination

Habitat loss

Habitat loss

Cultural heritage

Cultural heritage loss

HealthNeighbourhood

The Planet & Humankind

responsable

/ affectedQuantifying

costs

i.e. Construction enterprise

Sealed area

sensu

lato

Mic

ro le

vel

Mac

ro le

vel

Water sink capacity

It is often assumed that the costs of regeneration (reuse of brownfields sites)

are higher than those of new buildings (in green areas)

Thank you for the attention