In the debate on the new Consolidated Building Code, an interesting proposal has emerged to reconcile the needs of the real estate market with the objective of achiving zero land consumption. As highlighted by attorney Guido Inzaghi in today’s article published in Il Sole 24 Ore, one potential solution could be the inclusion — within the regulatory text— of provisions allowing for the renaturalization of brownfield sites, including those located in municipalities other than those where the main intervention is taking place, as an alternative to building on virgin land.
This approach, aligned with the recent Nature Restoration Law approved by the EU, could offer a viable option for the development of strategic infrastructure projects—such as data centers and logistics hubs—that cannot always be developed within already urbanized areas due to technical constraints. However, as Inzaghi notes, it is crucial that renaturalization planning be managed at the supra-municipal level, to avoid the risk of local restrictions undermining the effectiveness of the boarder system.
This aim of this proposal is to make the target of zero land consumption both realistic and achievable, within a framework of modern, balanced, and European-level spatial planning.
Here is an excerpt from the article.