5. Landscape and Ecological Networks

This chapter proposes a reflection on the possible role of landscape and ecological networks within the local urban planning practices. We face a constant population growth in cities, and peri-urban and marginal areas are increasingly subjected to environmental degradation. Therefore, it is necessary to identify the ecological values of the environment. This contribution, starting from some pilots conducted in Piedmont Region, reflects on the operational urban planning paradigms. The importance of green infrastructures and ecological quality for sustainable and resilient cities is sustained by a proposal of local planning regulations. The chapter aims to tackle the quest for new forms of implementation based on integrating the approaches to planning the urban and ecological problems to ensure the complete compatibility between urban transformation and the demands for environmental quality. The ecological regulations described propose an evolution of the meaning of the planning schemes, especially those applicable to green space. Therefore, this contribution focuses on an innovative model of planning and management at the local scale, the role of ecosystem services, and the relationship between the biodiversity of the ecological network structural areas and peri-urban and agricultural residual ecological areas to be strengthened to improve connectivity between ecosystems.