Evaluation of urban processes on health in Historic Urban Landscape approach: experimentation in the metropolitan area of Naples (Italy)

Purpose: Experimentally apply the Health Impact Assessment (HIA) to the Historic Urban Landscape (HUL) approach according to the socio-ecological model of the World Health Organisation (WHO), where health is defined as “a state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing and not simply the absence of disease and illness” (1986). Methodology/Approach: The methodology considers the application of HIA, a multi-criteria evaluation approach capable of organising knowledge concerning the effects that projects, plans and programmes impose upon the wellbeing/health of an urban community. The case study is the metropolitan area of Naples and it considers a system of evaluation to support the drafting of the new instrument for the territorial governance: the Territorial Metropolitan Plan. Findings: The research has developed through the identification of the “social determinants of health” and in the construction of a set of indicators implemented in a Geographic Information System (GIS), able to identify and to cartographically represent homogeneous landscape units of health. Research Limitation/implication: The virtuous connection between health and conservation, proposed in the method applied to the case study, is completely experimental because there are no other similar experiences in literature. Originality/Value of paper: The paper opens a prospect of research for the better understanding of spatial phenomena, creating new tools based on new technologies.