Integrating natural hazards in spanish and italian land use planning

Abstract

The socioeconomic losses in Spain and Italy due to natural hazards are considerable. Most of them are related to a policy which is not sufficiently based on prevention. Spatial and town plannings are the most efficient and economic tools for natural hazards prevention, through prohibitions or restrictions. In Spain, the use of natural hazards maps, included in the Environmental Sustainability Assessment, and, in Italy, the Hydrogeological Assessment Planning, shouldcontribute to minimize these losses. They should be confronted with town plannings for assigning a land use that must be coherent with hazard maps. Nowadays, because most of the Town Plannings are old; land use does not necessarily agree with the natural hazards maps. The Directive2001/42/EC, or Strategic Environmental Assessment Directive, contributes to integrate natural hazards into the spatial and town planning, while Directive 2007/60/EC on the assessment and management of flood risks required Spain and Italy to consider floods in the land use planning.The Civil Protection Departments in Spain are contributing to design natural hazards maps thatmay be used for land use planning, while in Italy supervises the projects obtained from different River Basin Authorities (Autorita di Bacino) that has utilized the studies of regional Administrations and scientific research groups (University, CNR,…). This paper deals with the consideration of natural hazards in the Spanish and Italian spatial and town planning as a toolof prevention.