How do people learn about the environment and behave accordingly? What is the cognitive process at the base of this learning mechanism? The present paper is a pilot work investigating the dynamics of individual environmental knowledge on the basis of social capital theory. Using Tsai and Ghoshal’s findings, a well known framework widely accepted in organizational studies which supports the existence of a relationship between structural, relational and cognitive dimensions of social capital, and between social capital and knowledge exchange, these dynamics are then tested in the context of environmental behaviour studies. The quantitative analysis is carried out by means of a structural equation model based on data collected in the Republic of Latvia. Results support main theoretical hypotheses, but several effects are found to be highly sensitive to control variables (residence place dimensions, ethnic affiliation, age, personal income), leading to hypothesise a strong dependency of environmental learning patterns on the sociodemographic, socio-economic and cognitive context.

This paper focuses on the effects of policies aimed at preventing an increase in pollution through the introduction of a tax, harmonised at EU level, on NOx and SO2. We assess the economic effect on member countries’ industries of different levels of taxation through the use of a CGE model. Our results suggest a separate role for envi-ronmental and commercial policies. The case study estimates the potential effects of the same policies at regional level (Apulia). A slowdown of the Italian economy would have a negative impact on the regional economic performance.

Over the last two decades the use of renewable energy sources has rapidly increased due to energy safety and/or economic issues (i.e. dependence from energy producer countries, energy price volatility). Also, at international level, recent EU and US regulations have helped the adoption of renewable energies across countries and the re-shaping of the energy sector. No doubts that this scenario has favoured the development of greener cities and economies. Nonetheless, it has caused several challenges on the landscape. The installation of large scale solar photovoltaic (PV) panels, for example, implies, among other things, land use change against the production of agricultural commodities. Similarly, the establishment of wind farms affects land use change and impacts wildlife preservation and aesthetic views. The existence of these landscape changes poses several questions on the sustainability of cities and territories. The present paper discusses the existence of socio-economic dilemmas in view of renewable energy projects for the growth of greener cities and territories. To respond to the research question above, this work aims at investigating: i. How the use of renewable energies (e.g. wind and solar PVs energy) affects social acceptance across consumers and the economy of a territory; and ii. What implications exist at policy level to close the gap between effective and perceived use of renewable energy sources.

The aim of this article is to illustrate main economic and environmental (GHG emission reductions) effects of implementing a biofuel economy and to discuss the potential of establishing advanced biofuels in the European Union. The study is based on the recently completed EU FP7 SUSTOIL research project. The main question addressed is the EU policy objective of achieving 20% GHG emission reductions using 20% of renewables by the year 2020. To contribute to the achievement of this policy we run and execute, through a Computable General Equilibrium model, a simulation experiment of implementing a bio-based economy using biorefineries in the production process. Main results suggest that: a. Biorefineries working from oil seeds and their by-products will lead to a large increase in the amount of this crop (grown particularly in Eastern Europe); b. This increase will be accompanied by a decrease in sectoral GDP in several other areas; c. Oil and electricity prices will generally fall in across the EU with a particularly notable trend in Eastern Europe; and d. A reduction in carbon emissions is achieved but this will be insufficient to meet the EU 20% target. This latter result would suggest to speed the technological process towards the use of next generation biofuels in the EU. Furthermore, these results advocate for a leading role expected to play by Eastern EU countries over the next years. The expected increase in the cultivation of energy crops could conflict with the availability of land for food crops. The potential for establishing next generation biofuels in the EU with adequate support policies would be essential for guaranteeing energy and food security in the long-run.

The present paper is an attempt at investigating the dynamics of knowledge exchange in a hybrid community at the micro level of analysis. The theoretical framework is based on social capital theory as defined in community and organisational studies, and on applied epistemology and knowledge management studies. The proposed model hypothesizes a positive effect of social capital dimensions and personal motivation on the quality of knowledge exchange, which should enhance in its turn the growth of individual knowledge (different dimensions are hypothesized). A quantitative empirical analysis based on structural equation modelling at the individual level is carried out among the members of the National Library of Latvia community (a partly virtual, partly geographical one), in order to test the above mentioned hypotheses. Findings show some common results in organisational and community studies (above all, the positive effect of trust capital on the quality of knowledge exchange), but also some peculiarities which in particular suggest relevant differences with purely virtual communities.

Abstract Background: The existence of the complexity in layout and physical parameters are still under investigation in urban architecture in cognitive science. Current research seems to pay more attention to wayfinding in two-dimensional environments investigating it in public buildings such as hospitals, airports or university departments, where it is more common to experience disorientation. Also, the presence of turning walks or staircases undermines the users’ cognitive map. As a consequence, the sense of disorientation would depend on various factors such as the number of ramps, their location and orientation with respect to the building’s main façade. Methods: We carry out two case studies: the first one is a qualitative experiment at the University of Bremen; the second one is a quantitative analysis at the Technical University of Bari. In both studies we select a random sample in which respondents perform a series of tests. . Participants are not familiar with the building in which the experiment is conducted but have some knowledge with the surrounding environment. Results: Main results suggest the importance of building layouts as an important element affecting human cognitive map in wayfinding. They seem to support the hypothesis that the direction of stairs plays an important role on the disorientation when navigating complex three-dimensional environments. Conclusions: This paper is an attempt to understand how the location of staircases affects disorientation and how this aspect, in turn, affects knowledge acquisition for wayfinding. These findings, coming from experimentations in indoor environments, seem to evoke a peculiar extension to outdoor environments, too. There is fair interest toward convenient investigation for outdoor integration and/or generalization. An intriguing future perspective for the present research would be the extension to the urban level of spatial cognition.

Il  turismo  costituisce  una  potenziale  e  possente  opportunità  per  lo  sviluppo  economico  locale,  specie per le aree rurali e in ritardo di sviluppo come le regioni interne del Mezzogiorno d’Italia. Tuttavia, nel lungo periodo, il consolidamento della crescita economica trainata dal turismo presuppone il verificarsi di una serie  di  condizioni  non  sempre  riscontrabili  e  riproducibili  nelle  regioni  caratterizzate  da  arretratezza  socioeconomica. Invero, tanto il turismo quanto i processi di sviluppo locale sono fenomeni caratterizzati da notevole  complessità  di  fattori  e  di  tipologie  che  spesso  non  consentono  di  delineare  e  adottare  strategie  e  strumenti universalmente validi. L’immissione in una rete turistica più ampia e già strutturata può costituire una  notevole  facilitazione  per  superare  gli  ostacoli  allo  sviluppo  di  aree  marginali  e  per  valorizzare  le  loro  potenzialità inespresse e, in particolare, le produzioni tipiche locali. In questa prospettiva, il progetto di cooperazione  transnazionale  “I  Cammini  d’Europa”,  che  rientra  nel  programma  Leader  +,  è  finalizzato  al  recupero e alla valorizzazione dei grandi itinerari storico‐culturali d’Europa. I Cammini d’Europa hanno l’obiettivo  di  scoprire  quei  territori  ricchi  di  storia,  cultura,  tradizioni  e  produzioni  tipiche  di  grande  qualità,  troppo spesso dimenticati dai grandi circuiti turistici internazionali ma che, grazie alle tracce fisiche e spirituali che  il  passato  ha  lasciato  in  essi,  possono  diventare  affascinanti  mete  turistiche  per  quanti  desiderano  coniugare la riscoperta delle proprie radici spirituali e culturali con la conoscenza di nuovi e misconosciuti luoghi della natura e della storia. In tal senso, rappresentano una nuova forma di proposta di attività turistica, utile  allo  sviluppo  dei  territori  rurali  e  più  attenta  ai  valori  dell’ambiente,  attraverso  la  “rivalutazione”  dei  cammini dei pellegrini, che sono alimentati da una “dinamica spirituale” da cui prende vigore e slancio pure una “dinamica economica” capace di innescare, sia nell’immediato sia nel lungo periodo, processi di crescita ampi  e  duraturi,  tenendo  conto  e  avvalendosi  del  rapporto  esistente  tra  identità  culturale  e  sviluppo  economico. Pertanto, il caso di studio affrontato della “Via Francigena” in Capitanata consente, sotto il profilo teorico  e  metodologico,  di  analizzare  una  nuova  e  differente  visione  della  programmazione  territoriale  dello  sviluppo a livello locale. Ciò porta a ripensare i modelli di sviluppo territoriale e a verificare la realizzabilità e le condizioni per un decollo di un sistema turistico rurale locale capace di indirizzare a proprio beneficio processi più ampi, che nascono altrove, come i “Cammini d’Europa”. Il lavoro che si intende presentare si articola in più parti, che tengono conto delle seguenti tematiche e problematiche: 1) Analisi teorica dello sviluppo locale e del ruolo della costruzioni di reti territoriali; 2) Problemi della sostenibilità socioeconomica e ambientale dei flussi turistici,  con  particolare  riferimento  alla  capacità  di  carico  turistico;  3)  Riorganizzazione  e  pianificazione  territoriale della aree interessate dal percorso della “Via Francigena”, specificamente del tratto rientrante nella Provincia  di  Foggia;  4)  Valutazione  dei  costi  socioeconomici  e  ambientali  della  implementazione  della  “Via  Francigena del Sud” in Provincia di Foggia.

This chapter illustrates main opportunities and challenges of second generation biofuels for the development of rural areas. The analysis focuses on the economic and environmental potentials of biodiesel (including algae diesel) and biomass and discusses the contribution of current biofuel policies on agriculture and sustainable rural economy. Finally, the chapter addresses main limitations of second generation biofuels in support of sustainable rural development.

Over the last decades, the increase in energy production from renewable sources has grown rapidly. In Italy, about 30% of national energy production uses renewable sources. Wind energy, in particular, is one of the most promising clean energy markets. The presence of a favourable climatic condition for wind power in the Apulia Region in southern Italy has pushed towards the development of one of the greatest on-shore areas in the country and Europe. Nonetheless, the high concentration of on-shore wind farms on the territory of the Apulia Region has posed serious problems over time. Despite the undoubted advantages of wind energy in terms of carbon and fossil fuel savings, there has been an increasing public awareness for landscape preservation. The majority of people living nearby on-shore wind farms seem to suffer from the change of ‘their’ landscape. This paper contributes to an understanding of the public awareness for the existing trade-off between landscape conservation and wind energy. With the use of a choice experiment approach, we infer on the social acceptance of on-shore wind energy in Apulia Region. Main results enable us: i) to analyse consumers’ willingness to pay for a hypothetical re-development of on-shore wind farms; ii) to determine the potential trade-offs between on-shore wind farms, landscape conservation and socio-economic issues; iii) to discuss the existence and overcome the problems of an asymmetric information between producers, consumers and policy makers on the implementation of on-shore wind farms on the territory.

The aim of the present paper is to investigate user’s perception of buildings’ layouts with particular emphasis on navigation of multi-level buildings. Up to date, research seems to pay more attention to wayfinding in two-dimensional environments, investigating it in public buildings such as hospitals, airports or university departments where it is more common to experience disorientation. The present work deepens this issue and focuses on the effect of rotation – due to staircases – on people’s cognitive maps. The study consists of a pilot work based on two cases: one qualitative, conducted at the University of Bremen, and the other one quantitative, conducted at the Technical University of Bari. Main results suggests that staircases affect somehow people’s perception of layout during navigation of multi-level buildings.

This work aims at analysing, at the light of new insights from economic development theories, the microeconomic relationship between social capital and economic wealth. In this preliminary study, we conduct a quantitative analysis through the use of structural equation modelling, to investigate a multidisciplinary framework across social and cognitive sciences. Results suggest the existence of a causal path linking wealth, institutional trust, social engagement and trust towards people.