The determinants of land use in Italy from a spatial perspective: A re-interpretation at the time of Covid-19

Since the post-Second World War period, territorial development in Italy has been characterised by unsustainable settlement patterns, including the unplanned and wildfire growth of urban systems and the propensity to overbuilding. Systematic knowledge of the key aspects of land use patterns is the basis for planning sustainable land development. Furthermore, the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has accentuated the need to re-address land management to ensure public safety and protection. By using the Spatial Durbin Model (SDM), this work aims to: i) analyse the determinants that best quantitatively describe land use patterns in Italian municipalities; ii) provide a re-interpretation of the main results in light of the territorial re-planned process required by the Covid-19 pandemic. The results suggest that monitoring land use and strengthening quality and cooperation between local institutions are needed to preserve the environment and ecosystem services that underlie more sustainable land use planning.