Soil Consumption and public policies of territorial government

The importance to reflect carefully on soil consumption is largely proved by several national and supranational data such as proposals of law, soft law, directives, documents of analysis. In the past, the deepening of such theme was prevented by virtue of the dominant neoliberal vision hostile to prefigure excessive interferences in the property right, but it is significant that the European Soil Charter already defined soil «a limited resource which is easily destroyed». The soil recognition in terms of limited, essentially nonrenewable, resource provokes a conflict between the pretense to exploit lands by virtue of property rights and the public utility connected to a natural resource. The absence of a uniform discipline applicable in the European context and, as consequence, in many countries, for instance Italy, is suitable to generate uncertainties, especially towards the local administrations responsible for urban planning activities. As it was clearly affirmed by the European Commission «developments in soil sealing are largely determined by spatial planning strategies where unfortunately the effects of irreplaceable soil losses are often not sufficiently taken into account». It is, therefore, recommendable a renewed approach in the definition and implementation of practices, methodologies, procedures eligible to ensure the sustainability of public decision models, in particular those ones related to the organization and the planning of the urban systems.