Abstract

In the last 15 years, urban sprwal has affected most of the Po plain consuming agricultural land at an increasing rate, far exceeding the growth population rate. The drivers of this very Italian phenomenon are many: together with well known economic, fiscal and regulatory factors, sociocultural factors play a major role that is often overlooked and poorly investigated. Sustainable policies to combat urban sprawl and reduce land consumption can't be effective if socio-cultural factors aren't fully understood. The present paper analyses the main cultural causes that help economic drivers in boosting urban sprwal in Italy.