Land use: The perception of risk by the citizens and local administrators in the North of Italy

Soil is a non-renewable resource and a very dynamic system, which delivers vital services to human activities for example guaranteeing food autonomy of countries and ecosystems survival. Nevertheless, in recent years the "land use", a negative and multidimensional phenomenon that still does not have a univocal definition, has become a critical issue. The most evident characteristics of this issue are represented by the expansion of urban areas (urban sprawl) and the impermeability of agricultural land and natural areas, which often occurs in valuable plain areas, which are most fertile and productive. The knowledge and the analysis of technical and objective data are essential to understand the evolution of "land use" but, on the other hand, it is equally important to undertake research on the perception of this phenomenon in citizens and local administrators. In this regard, we assessed the dimensions of "land use" in a definite territory of northern Italy and evaluated the perception of this problem in citizens and local administrators of the same geographical area. The results of our study showed that raising awareness in the population is a very helpful tool to stimulate sustainable actions oriented to human development. A new cultural paradigm could help to encourage reflection on local sustainability and new policies that go farther than individual administrative mandates, promoting social responsibility of local administrators towards future generations.