Connecting the plots : mapping the links between environmental, hazards and social factors in Italy's contaminated sites of national interest

Since the 1980s, considerable scientific efforts have been made to investigate and document the connection between environmental hazards and socio-spatial inequalities, especially in the United States of America. A growing body of research has revealed that exposure to environmental contamination (soil, water, air, the food chain), and other environmental risks, are unevenly spatially distributed, and unequally affect the health and wellbeing of individuals, groups, and communities. Existing research encompasses a range of qualitative and quantitative analytical techniques that assess a variety of hazards and/or contamination sources at various geographic scales of analysis. A common feature of the major studies on the topic is that they are mainly focused on spatial proximity to environmental hazards, by identifying the population that is potentially bearing the negative consequences of such polluted sites, especially in terms of adverse health effects. In the context of contaminated areas of Italy, ‘Sites of National Interest’ (which are known, in the Italian context, as SIN) tend to be industrial (or post-industrial) areas where the level of contamination warrants special vigilance. In fact, according to current legislation, areas meeting specific criteria in terms of quantity and hazardousness of pollutants, as well as the extent of their environmental impact in terms of health and ecological risks, are the subject of specific remediation procedures. However, despite the recognition of the deleterious impacts of such sites, and the integration of concepts such as social sustainability and the wellbeing of local residents into remediation activities, a systematic attempt to quantify the demographic and socioeconomic features of communities within these areas is still missing. The foremost problem concerns the fact that the geographical measurement of Italian SINs has been inconsistent, and there is a general lack of structured, homogeneous, and comparable official information made available for comprehensive analysis of the complex landscape of these areas. After having mapped all ‘official’ Italian SINs, and created the first comprehensive base map of these sites, we then performed our analysis using existing socioeconomic indicators and other information such as official census data, at the most detailed geographical level possible. Starting from the paradigm of environmental justice that reveals existing links between environmental and social factors, the aim of this contribution is to identify and explore the main characteristics of those who bear the burdens of proximity to this type of environmental peril in Italy. To analyze existing links between environmental contamination and social factors – such as how they relate to the socio-economic status of affected communities – or links between risk exposure and spatial distribution of vulnerable groups, this research will be focused on SINs that lie in urban contexts. Parallel to our geo-statistical analysis, we will also reflect on methodological issues related to spatial analysis of this kind, and the use and availability of the data required to perform such analyses. Finally, we will highlight recommendations for future research on the topic.