Environmental Dimension into Strategic Planning. The Case of Metropolitan City of Cagliari

Global changes in the Anthropocene are unprecedented in history. They are closely linked to the use of the soil, the sea and the exploitation of natural resources and in turn determine important changes in the values and socio-cultural behavior of entire populations. In this context, the focus on the environmental dimension is the main way to govern the city and territory. In this sense, the environmental assets through the criterion of participation in decision-making processes, the identification and assessment of reasonable plan/program alternatives through the construction of forecast scenarios related to the evolution of the state of the environment constitutes the spatial planning paradigm, from the municipal level implementation strategy and the metropolitan level strategic one. Although in fact all Italian metropolitan cities are oriented towards adopting strategic and sustainable development models, capable of fighting the consumption of soil and natural resources in general, these have not always correspondence in an approach that specific environmental assessments part of the plan process and therefore functional for future governance choices. In this context, the objective of this work is to describe the case of the metropolitan city of Cagliari highlighting how the environmental dynamic and assets should be considered into its (actually in defining phase) strategic plan.