Preliminary analyses for urban and peri-urban areas

This action, which will be developed during the first two years of the project, in close relation to Action A3, and then to C3, involves the analysis and characterisation of regional urban and peri-urban areas in order to identify their possible role in the conservation of habitats and species of Community interest. The action provides an interpretation of settlement expansions and assesses how urban design, construction techniques, and different land uses establish relations with the conservation of habitats and species of Community interest and, more generally, with the functionality of ecosystems in N2K areas, with particular attention to areas located near strategic crossings. In order to do this, a methodological approach and a system of strategic options will be defined. Those options will be tested in some specially selected areas and will become a reference both for the offices in charge of carrying out the evaluation processes of plans, programs and projects, and for the experts who will have to develop them in areas inside or near the N2K network sites.