48
Road, Railway and Airport Construction
REGGIO DI CALABRIA
Overview
Date/time interval
Syllabus
Course Objectives
The main objective of the course is to provide students with knowledge of the main environmental issues, with a specific focus on developing fundamental competencies related to:
- Regulatory frameworks of EIA (VIA) and SEA (VAS);
- Preparation of Environmental Impact Studies (EIS);
- Procedural aspects of EIA (VIA);
- Preparation of Environmental Reports;
- Procedural elements and requirements of SEA (VAS).
The course is designed to provide students with the conceptual foundations and methodological tools necessary to formulate and solve decision-making problems related to environmental systems. The study and management of such systems require the ability to integrate dynamic models, optimization and control techniques, and computer-based tools for representing territorial systems.
By the end of the course, students will be able to:
- Identify and interpret the main regulatory references in EIA (VIA) and SEA (VAS).
- Prepare Environmental Impact Studies and Environmental Reports in compliance with procedural requirements.
- Apply dynamic models, optimization and control methods, and ICT tools to the study and management of environmental and territorial systems.
- Analyze decision-making processes related to the use of natural resources, land management, and environmental protection.
- Develop appropriate models to represent environmental systems under study.
- Formalize decision-making processes using multi-criteria analysis and fuzzy logic methods.
- Critically assess environmental compatibility issues of infrastructure projects, identify possible alternative solutions, and make informed choices among them.
Course Prerequisites
There are no prerequisites
Teaching Methods
The course is structured into both traditional and interactive lectures, as well as seminars on specific topics.
Assessment Methods
The achievement of the learning objectives will be assessed through an oral exam, consisting of a discussion on the topics covered in the course. This will verify the student’s understanding of the acquired knowledge, as well as their communication skills and ability to present using appropriate scientific language.
Grades will be assigned according to the following evaluation criteria:
- Insufficient: Inadequate knowledge of the topics covered during the course.
- 18 - 20: Basic knowledge of the main course topics and technical language, sufficient interpretative skills, limited ability to apply the acquired knowledge.
- 21 - 23: Adequate knowledge of the course topics, sufficient command of language, correct interpretative skills, and the ability to apply knowledge independently to solve problems.
- 24 - 25: Good knowledge of the topics, good command of language, correct and confident interpretative skills, and correct application of most of the knowledge to solve problems.
- 26 - 29: Comprehensive and in-depth knowledge of the topics, strong command of language, complete and effective interpretative skills, and the ability to apply knowledge independently to solve problems.
- 30 - 30 with lode: Complete, in-depth, and critical understanding of the course topics, excellent command of technical language, original interpretative skills, and full ability to independently apply knowledge to solve problems.
Texts
Course materials
Contents
Description
The course aims to provide students with the conceptual background and methodological tools needed to address decision-making problems related to environmental systems. Students will learn how to integrate dynamic models, optimization and control techniques, and computer-based tools for representing territorial systems.
The course will focus on decision-making processes concerning both the use of natural resources and land management, as well as environmental protection. By the end of the course, students will be able to develop appropriate models to represent the systems under study and to formalize decision-making processes using methods from multi-criteria analysis and fuzzy logic.
Course Syllabus
A) ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT (EIA – VIA)
- Sustainable development: pollution and pollutants, sustainable development and impacts;
- Definitions and terminology;
- General legislative framework;
- Screening, Scoping, EIA (VIA), publicity measures, public participation in the procedure;
- Programmatic, Project, and Environmental frameworks of reference;
- SEA (Strategic Environmental Assessment – VAS): general aspects, regulatory and programmatic framework;
- From cost–benefit analysis to EIA (VIA).
B) ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ANALYSIS
- Human activities, the environment, and impacts (terminology and basic concepts);
- Environmental components and analytical tools;
- Check-lists (structure, types, content, and examples: the Battelle check-list);
- Matrices (types, content, and examples: the Leopold matrix);
- Graphs or networks (structure and examples);
- Overlay mapping;
- Correlation matrices.
C) EVALUATION TECHNIQUES AND DECISION-MAKING PROCESSES
- Analysis of alternatives;
- Cost–benefit analysis (CBA – ACB) (assumptions; public and private goods; the market: demand and supply curves; consumer and producer surplus; stages of CBA; monetization of benefits and costs; WTP – willingness to pay and WTA – willingness to accept [DAP e DAA]; market distortions and shadow prices; taxes and subsidies; valuation of non-market goods: direct methods – contingent valuation and its implementation, indirect methods – travel cost method and hedonic pricing method; limitations of CBA);
- Cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA – ACE) (strategy, indices, and limitations);
- Multi-criteria analysis (MCA – AMC) (criteria and objectives; definition of criterion; stages of the procedure: evaluation matrix; data normalization – linear normalization and value/utility functions; weight assignment – direct assignment, pairwise comparisons, rank-based methods; ranking calculations – weighted sum and concordance/discordance indices; sensitivity analysis);
- Fuzzy logic in decision-making processes: fuzzy, crisp, and linguistic decision data;
- Solution methods for multi-attribute analysis models: distance-to-ideal method, AHP (Analytic Hierarchy Process), fuzzy methodologies for multi-attribute problem-solving;
- Environmental monitoring.
D) AIR POLLUTION
- Major air pollutants: main sources and risk levels;
- Models for assessing the dispersion of pollutants in the atmosphere (regulatory framework; chemical-physical processes; input data; types of pollutants; parameterization of atmospheric variables; Gaussian, Eulerian, Euler–Lagrangian, and Lagrangian models: characteristics and selection criteria for application);
- Pollutants from vehicular traffic: primary and secondary pollutants, short- and long-range pollutants, predictive assessment models (emission models and dispersion/propagation models);
- Road network and traffic management measures for air quality protection.
E) NOISE POLLUTION
- Noise and theoretical background in acoustics (sound and its measurement; threshold of audibility and threshold of pain; sound level meters and sound measurement in real environments; criteria for describing noise measurements; equivalent continuous sound level – Leq; noise percentile levels – Ln);
- Predictive models for traffic-related noise pollution;
- Framework Law 447/95 and implementing decrees (DPCM 14/11/97; DM 16/03/98): emission limits, absolute and differential immission limits; attention values and quality standards; land-use zoning for noise classification.
F) LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT (LCA)
- Life cycle assessment (LCA). The EU Ecolabel and the Community eco-labelling system. Environmental Performance Indicators for businesses.
Expected learning outcomes
By the end of the course, students will be able to:
- Understand the conceptual foundations and methodological approaches for addressing decision-making problems related to environmental systems.
- Apply dynamic models, optimization and control techniques, and computer-based tools to the study and management of territorial systems.
- Analyze decision-making processes concerning the use of natural resources, land management, and environmental protection.
- Develop appropriate models to represent environmental systems under study.
- Formalize decision-making processes using methods from multi-criteria analysis and fuzzy logic.