La limitazione del consumo di suolo alla scala comunale. 4. Integrare il quadro informativo: la qualità dei suoli liberi

[Autom. eng. transl.] The information framework, which guides the choices of government of the territory, must be based on a qualitative analysis of free soils, both those within the perimeter of the consolidated urban fabric, and, above all, the external ones. Without wishing to attribute an order of preference with respect to the possible transformations, it is however evident that the latter, due to the degree of residual naturalness, the average size, the ecological continuity, the agricultural and landscape value, the relevance with respect to the defense of the soil, and so on, they represent - in general - the most precious reserve of free soils. For these reasons, the contribution proposes, on an experimental basis, a methodology (on a municipal scale) for the analysis and evaluation of the ecological quality of the free areas, which allows to express a preventive judgment on the environmental outcomes determined by the possible urban transformation. Having this method does not mean giving up the principle, so-called nounless, for which the transformation of free areas can take place only on the condition that there are no areas already built up, or abandoned, or at least free but discontinuous and residual, on which to concentrate the building demand expressed at local level. Otherwise, it intends to act as a support tool for decisions that, where the full safeguard of free areas cannot or will not be realized, at least ensure greater environmental efficiency, allowing the selection of the most appropriate location alternative, or better, less inadequate. It also allows an easier determination of the necessary environmental compensation, so as to ensure a non-decreasing level of overall naturalness, integrating urban planning and design criteria suitable for reconciling the environmental impact of the transformation. The proposed methodology, developing on the municipal scale, also intends to meet the requirements of simplicity and general applicability, being implementable through the use of readily available databases.