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Demolition-reconstruction interventions and deep renovation interventions are the main strategies implemented with the aim of adapting the existing residential heritage. In particular, the deep renovation interventions are at the centre of a cultural debate, as evidenced by the research carried out on large modernist peripheral settlements. In this context, it is interesting to investigate how this approach can be applied to those historic urban tissues and smaller centres that strongly characterise the Italian and European territory. Starting from the analysis of several case studies identified in the Belgian context, the work codifies archetypes of intervention on technological units and analyses their limits and potential of application to the Italian context with the aim of opening a debate between conservation approaches and adaptation approaches.

Time acts as a fundamental variable of urban transformation. In fact, changing needs can make an architecture or a technological unit obsolete over time. Precisely, this unexpected deficiency in performance can no longer be interpreted as a limitation but rather as potential to update the architecture itself. This paper fits into this framework and investigates both the potential and limitations of architecture considered an upgradeable system in which time, and the need for changes, become a variable of transformation. By analysing a case study and possible updating strategies relative to a renewed demand framework, the paper underlines the potential that modern architecture offers in terms of updating.

Automated vehicles (AVs) are expected to shape the future of transportation and to improve traffic flow and safety. Studies have focused on AVs effects on traffic flow during the transition to full automation, with few examining their influence on human-driven vehicles (HDVs). This study investigated potential changes in HDVs’ driving behavior induced by the presence of AVs with different driving styles (aggressive vs. cautious) at varying market penetration rates (MPRs) (0%, 25%, 50%, and 75%). First, a driving simulator experiment with 160 people (56 females, 104 males) was conducted to collect HDV trajectory data. Then, a microsimulation model was implemented in VISSIM, where HDV behavioral parameters were calibrated using the driving simulator data. Average time headway (THW), relative velocity (RelVel), average acceleration (Acc), average deceleration (Dec), and lane change frequency (LnCh) were used as behavioral metrics. A two-way ANOVA was applied for analysis. Results showed that higher AVs’ MPRs decreased THW, Acc, and Dec in HDVs, while RelVel increased with cautious AVs and decreased with aggressive AVs. Similar trends were observed for LnCh. These findings highlight the need to consider potential HDVs behavioral adaptation during the transition phase, as neglecting it may lead to inaccurate traffic assessments and ineffective policies.

Given the benefits both individuals and collectivity have achieved over the past few years thanks to Mobility-as-Service (MaaS) systems, various studies were conducted to predict the level of acceptance of MaaS bundles from different territorial scales and in different countries. Results obtained are in some cases contradictory. Literature is lacking in the study of small-to-medium-sized urban contexts and in the effects of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. This paper aims to understand (1) what factors influence respondents’ preferences between their usual transportation means and a possible MaaS alternative and (2) what leads a user to prefer one MaaS bundle to another. A logistic regression and a mixed logit model were developed to reach the two aims, respectively. These models were calibrated using questionnaires administered to employees of the Municipality of Padua, a medium-sized city in Italy. Aspects concerning the perception of health safety in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic were included in the analyses. In 37% of the cases, users stated they would be willing to adopt at least one of the proposed MaaS bundles. The results suggest that MaaS solutions can be a useful tool for managing mobility even in medium-sized cities, provided users’ biosecurity concerns are addressed by appropriate countermeasures.

The absence of a global agreement for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) and their removal from the atmosphere, in fact, makes it almost impossible to respect the limit of +1.5°C, as established by the Paris Agreement (European Commission, 2015). The increase in the urban heat island, water management, loss of biodiversity and increase in air pollution, according to the CDP Disclosure Insight Action, are some of the risks to pay attention to (CDP Global, 2019). [...]these risks could be potential causes of the non-habitability of many territories, including coastal and the Mediterranean areas, which are among the most populated regions today. Based on these data, the paper reconsiders the performance framework with respect to various environmental risks (heat island, rainwater cycle management, water consumption, biodiversity reduction, energy consumption, CO2 reduction) in the five climate scenarios defined by the Climate Action Tracker.

Background Interaction with the road environment as a pedestrian begins early, increasing during adolescence with growing independence. However, pedestrians face crash risks, particularly those with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Methods This study compared the road-crossing and sidewalk-walking behaviors of adolescents with and without ADHD in virtual road scenarios. Twenty-one participants with ADHD and 21 adolescents with typical development from 11 to 16 years of age, paired for gender and intelligence participated in the study. Results Adolescents with ADHD displayed more unintentional risky behaviors, such as wandering while crossing, looking away, and taking longer to avoid obstacles. However, they also showed positive behaviors, such as checking both sides of the road before crossing. Manifestations of inattention, as observed by parents, were associated with these risky behaviors. Conclusions Our results extend previous findings, showing that ADHD puts adolescent pedestrians at greater risk in the road context, despite manifesting also potential positive behaviors.

Among the super insulating materials, aerogel has interesting properties: very low thermal conductivity and density, resistance to high temperatures and transparency. It is a rather expensive material, but incentives in the field can improve its economic attractiveness. Starting from this, the thermal behavior of a test building entirely insulated with aerogel panels was investigated through an extended experimental campaign. A dynamic simulation model of a case study building was generated to better comprehend the energy savings obtained through aerogel in terms of energy demand over a whole year. The investigation was completed by computing the carbon and energy payback times of various retrofit strategies through a life cycle assessment approach, as well as by a cost-benefit analysis through a probabilistic financial framework. Compared to conventional insulation materials, aerogel is characterized by a higher energy and carbon payback time, but it guarantees better environmental performance in the whole life cycle. From an economic-financial perspective, the aerogel retrofit is the best in the current tax incentive scenario. However, due to its higher lump-sum investment, aerogel’s net present value is very sensitive to tax deductions, and it is riskier than the best comparable materials in less favorable tax scenarios.

The contribution of technological innovations to design choices, like in many industrial sectors, does not always correspond to controlled improvement of the built environment. Integrating feedback from the physical and cultural context of construction is a challenge for the future of the profession. International studies dedicate resources in order to monitor constructions and to develop executive designs that are evidence-based. Professional associations, research institutes and universities experiment with models for integrating specialist skills into a commitment that is unsustainable for most architects. Based on these experiences, this contribution considers an informed and reliable process of ideation-construction in pursuit of build quality.

Public space, understood as the system of open urban spaces, is assuming an increasingly important role in environmental redevelopment processes. Recent experiences show how it is possible to rethink resilient cities, addressing some of the urban issues behind the deterioration of the territory in which we live, starting by upgrading public space. Based on these assumptions, our research investigates the potential of open space as an environment in which adaptation and mitigation measures can be adopted. The research was conducted on a case study, developed using simulation models (Envi-met, SWMM) and compared scenarios using different innovative technology systems.

The goal of my essay is to clarify the status of the a priori in Hegel's Science of Logic. My claim is that in order to make possible an appreciation of the originality of Hegel's position we need to map a context of discussion and to dissolve a set of preconceptions about Hegel's idea of philosophy. My argument will be articulated in two parts. In the first part, I will analyse four possible positions regarding the issue of the aprioricity of the Logic, I will defend a fifth position, and I will draw a distinction between apriorism and a priori. In the second part, I will examine three distinct charges of apriorism against Hegel's Logic: the charge of assuming God's point of view of the universe, the charge of vicious circularity between the beginning and the end of the Logic, the charge of self-sufficiency of the Logic. As a result, I hope to show that these charges are unfounded, and to clear the ground for an adequate evaluation of Hegel's own sublation (Aufhebung) of the a priori/a posteriori divide.