Environmental risk prevention, post-seismic interventions and the reconstruction of the public space as a planning challenge. An introduction.

This issue of the Italian Journal of Planning Practices tackles the topic of ‘natural’ risks, focusing particularly on seismic risk, and on policies and actions addressed to prevention. There are two main reasons for considering environmental risk as a primary issue in Italy. The first is because the geomorphology of the country and the physical and spatial configuration of its territory cause a particular risk exposure; in fact, it is among countries with higher seismic and hydrogeological risk levels in Europe). The second reason is related to spatial transformation processes, and to the urban development of the country in particular, which happened mostly without considering these risks. The combination of these two conditions leads Italy, unfortunately, to be wellknown for its weak capacity to govern territorial changes, and for its almost constant recourse to emergency policies. This special issue of IJPP, edited by B. Pizzo and V. Fabietti aims at critically exploring and deepening these issues.