Major infrastructure and highway systems

Over the years, a significant portion of the Associates’ consultancy work has hinged around Italy’s major railway infrastructure and highway system, thereby constituting one of the associates’ strong points

projects list

Their consultancy work has involved both transportation assessment and underpinning studies on land-use and environment, and has covered successive phases: project financing, feasibility studies, preliminary drafts as stipulated by Italian legislation (Legge Obiettivo -- Legge 443/2001), building projects for comprehensive public procurement tenders, etc. The transportation assessment done since 1998 has involved major nationwide initiatives, including both environmental impact studies presented to ministries and support for project financing initiatives to undertake new stretches of highway, falling under the jurisdiction of the Legge Obiettivo.

Traffic assessments are generally done based on flow simulation models able to represent point of origin-point of destination pertaining to the transportation system serving the area under study.

The approach used in the studies has been solidly corroborated, based on the comparative analysis of various transportation supply and demand scenarios. The systems’ degree of functionality is examined by comparing a non-intervention scenario with the design-based scenario, including forecasts for the short, medium, and long term.

Special attention is attached to the conditions surrounding land-use in the territory under study. Analysis of land-use and transportation planning tools on various scales can be used to ascertain these conditions, and thereby lead to the definition and scheduling of various interventions in the planning process (Quadro Programmatico).

According to the scale of the project in question, the Studio’s studies and activities include pinpointing corridors and itineraries via comprehensive assessment and multi-criteria analysis, performing studies, managing environmental impact assessment to be submitted at different levels of government, and designing environmental mitigation and compensation projects.

 

Land Use Planning

Given that land-use and mobility are closely related due to a high degree of interaction, a significant proportion of the studio’s consultancy is devoted to the analysis and evaluation of transportation characteristics used to underpin the drafting of major urban planning tools used at different levels of government (Piani Regionali, Piani Provinciali di Coordinamento Territoriale, Piani Regolatori, Piani Particolareggiati).

projects list

Based on the analysis of critical land-use factors, assessments in this area tend to interrelate forecasts for urban expansion, renewal, or relocation with the appropriateness of the infrastructure, and provide an analysis of the scope of the transport systems required to attain the objectives set out in the Plan.

The results obtained in terms of the appropriateness of the Plan’s orientation and the degree to which the overall transportation system can be used in terms of its accessibility and environmental compatibility stem from the simulated scenarios’ ability to analyse the effects that the land-use and population modifications examined would have on transportation systems.

 

Project financing

In recent years, transportation assessments to support project financing initiatives for new road and toll highway arteries have steadily gained ground among the Associates’ requests for consultancy.

projects list

Given its professional profile, the studio is able to furnish the party proposing the project with the support it needs, integrating the drafting of the studies required for the administrative processing of the project with the project’s technical or land-use feasibility in order to arrive at the project’s financial feasibility for the subsequent drafting of the Financial Plan.

Specifically, the transportation assessments are based on the results of traffic simulations done using transport analysis software able to generate reliable traffic forecasts for project infrastructure ranging from the year of completion through to the end of the project’s lifespan.

Ascertaining the elasticity of demand based on tolls for a given route bears special interest in transportation assessment for project financing initiatives. This elasticity is provided on a routine basis thanks to the traffic simulation’s ability to consider the extra cost in tolls for users and to analysis of users’ stated perceived value of time (Stated Preferences Research).

 

Urban transformation and land-use enhacement initiatives

The studio optimizes the strategic integration of its skills in the area of reciprocal, dynamic processes involving the relationship between the development of settlement systems and mobility.

projects list

Urban planning interventions are an activity for which State support ranges from analysis of feasibility conditions (location studies, urban planning and environmental due diligence, surveys on transportation) to project promotion and implementation (P.I.I., piani particolareggiati), to developing procedures for authorizing urban planning (building permits, studies and analysis on the environmental and transportation required for processing the project’s evaluation and approval).

Thanks to a great deal of specialization in transportation assessment and land-use and urban planning, the studio is able to work on a comprehensive basis both in preliminary project feasibility evaluation processes and throughout the subsequent phases of project design, planning and approval.

By reconstructing vehicle flows stemming from the specific area of the project in question, which in most cases constitutes the first phase of evaluation done for new residential or business districts, shopping centres or outlets, theme parks or leisure complexes, multiplex cinemas, intra-modal and logistics centres, the consultancy provided is able to verify the proper functionality of the road system linking into the new area basing itself on micro-simulations of traffic at intersections and roundabouts, and to the sizing of parking areas to serve the project.

One of the studio’s ongoing capabilities is preparation these evaluations by developing traffic flow simulation models, used to compare a non-intervention scenario with the project scenario, for the road system affecting the project area in question.

• Project management for the project’s complex structures
• Drafting of location studies for specialized areas
• Due diligence and technical and urban planning feasibility studies
• Drafting of Comprehensive Intervention Programmes (Programmi Integrati di Intervento) and Detailed Plans (Piani Particolareggiati)
• Environmental screening studies and procedures and environmental impact assessment.
• Designs for urban development
• Landscaping

Studies, research and environmental planning

The Studio has broad experience in drafting Environmental Impact Studies for major infrastructure projects (roads and railways) or for major new urban areas, including environmental impact assessment procedures on both a national level (Ministero dell’Ambiente) and a regional level (Regione Lombardia, Regione del Veneto, Regione Emilia Romagna).

projects list

In addition to the routine activities tied both to determining and assessing individual environmental factors and to the project’s interaction with the Quadro di Programmazione and overall land-use management and planning for land-use, the Studio has its own internal capacity to work on major project components, with special regard attached to:

• Transportation and other functionalities (traffic studies, verification of the various scenarios involved in the plan, simulations of the dynamics tied to provisional traffic flows during construction work, furnishing of input data for subsequent evaluations of atmospheric and acoustic impact)
• Cost-benefit analysis and assessment, with the inclusion including of an economic appraisal of environmental parameters as well as traditional economical and social indicators in the final assessment.
• Developing and designing environmental mitigation and compensation works (i.e. landscaping, acoustics, vibrations, surface water)

Additionally, the skills developed over the years enable the studio to support both public and private purchasing in the design and planning of regeneration and clean-up of natural areas, urban and regional parks, location studies for high environmental impact facilities, etc.

 

Plans for traffic, urban mobility, sustainable mobility and traffic calming

A significant part of the studio’s consultancy involves urban-related projects to for the support of town and city council planning and management of mobility.

projects list

In drafting both Traffic Plans (Piani del Traffico) and Detailed Plans (Piani Particolareggiati), increasing importance is attached to road safety through analysis and redesign of urban areas according to traffic calming criteria.

The analysis ranges from road traffic hubs to the evaluation and reorganization of both physical space and parking management policies, the pinpointing of better strategies to protect the accessibility of historical areas, and the incentive for sustainable mobility.

Parallel to the reorganization and improvement of road traffic, studies on urban areas are often geared towards bolstering public transportation through improvement of both customer service (i.e. improved routes, transfers, waiting times, and operating speed) and the image of public transport by developing marketing plans, initiatives for publicizing new services, or customer satisfaction surveys.

Generally speaking, the results of the traffic simulations done to ascertain the correct functioning of project initiatives identified are used to underpin the transportation assessment studies drafted.

 

Mobility surveys

In general, transportation assessments start by reproducing the status quo and comparing it with mobility required in the area of the intervention in question.

projects list

One of the consultancy’s most important aspects is therefore the design and coordination of mobility studies aimed at reproducing the current situation and gathering information needed to complete simulation models required for preparing the analysis scenarios.

The surveys prepared involve:

• Reconstruction of point of origin – point of destination in the area under study;
• Compilation of vehicles and passenger flows on major road arteries and on pubic transportation;
• Ascertaining user perception when choosing a mode of transportation, including the value of users’ time and their inclination to pay highway tolls or to park in urban areas;
• Modifications of current choices in modes of transportation.

 

Public transportation networks and systems

One of the studio’s major areas of expertise has consistently been consultancy on public transportation networks and systems.

projects list

The consultancy provided ranges from the reorganization of both urban and extra-urban pubic transportation systems to determining potential demand on new lines or rapid mass transit systems, to the preparing of marketing plans to re-launch pubic transportation.

This type of analysis is done by preparing simulation models for both public and private mobility, implemented on different scales of analysis (i.e. urban and regional) depending on the initiative in question. These models are able to determine user transportation choices.

When new mass transit lines are in question, the results obtained on the number of passengers transported in the system are generally examined together with assessments of possibilities for decongestion of road systems triggered by the new public systems’ absorption of a portion of private transportation.

 

3TI SpA  A – Way  A4 Mobility SpA – Gruppo A4 Holding  Acciai Speciali Terni SpA - Thyssenkrupp  Arcas SpA  ARCEA Lazio  ARCHIMI Studio SpA  Astaldi SpA  Autostrada A22 del Brennero SpA  Autostrada BS VR VI PD SpA  Autostrada Campogalliano - Sassuolo SpA  Autostrada Campogalliano Sassuolo SpA  Autostrada del Brennero SpA  Autostrada Nogara – Mare Adriatico SpA  Autostrada Pedemontana Lombarda SpA  Autostrade per l’Italia SpA  Azienza Consorziale Trasporti Reggio Emilia  Banca Intesa e Sviluppo  C.S.S.G. Strategie Immobiliari SpA - Granella Srl - Eurocamion Group SpA  Cassa Depositi e Prestiti – Banca Europea degli Investimenti  Cassa Depositi e Prestiti SpA  CERFORM  CITRA Srl  CMC Ravenna SpA  Comune di Bollate  Comune di Bologna  Comune di Ravenna  Comune di Reggio Emilia  Comune di Verona  Concessioni Autostradali Venete SpA  Consorzio 2050  Consorzio Autostrade del Lazio SpA  COOPSETTE  ENGINEERING 2K SpA  GIRPA SpA  Immobiliare Quarto Srl  Impresa di costruzioni Ing. E. Mantovani SpA  Infrastrutture e Gestioni SpA  Iniziative Bologna Nord Srl  ISFORT  Italcave 2000 Srl  Lexus Srl  LIDL ITALIA Srl  Madonna Ponte Srl  Mantovani SpA, Astaldi SpA, Astaldi Concessioni SpA, Autostrada Serenissima SpA, Autostrada BS VR VI PD SpA  Milano Serravalle - Milano Tangenziali SpA  Milano Serravalle – Milano Tangenziali SpA  Milano Serravalle Engineering SpA  Politecnica Ingegneria ed Architettura SpA  Proiter Srl  PROTOS CHECK Srl   Provincia di Bologna  Provincia di Ragusa  Raffles Asset Italy Srl  Real Station Srl  Regione Emilia Romagna  REPOWER SpA  Rocksoil SpA - Consorzio ARCAS-LAURO  Società Autostrada Tirrenica SpA  Società di progetto BREBEMI SpA  Società Infrastrutture Toscane SpA  Società Italiana per Condotte d'Acqua SpA  SPEA Ingegneria Europea SpA  Studio di Architettura e Ingegneria Redaelli e Associati  Sviluppo Sistema Fiera SpA  Tangenziali Esterne di Milano SpA  Technital SpA  Torno Internazionale SpA  TOTO SpA  Verona Porta Sud SpA  YARD SpA