Many planning support tools have recently been developed aimed at measuring and modelling accessibility (Accessibility Instrument or AI). The main difficulty for tool developers is designing an AI that is at the same time technically rigorous and usable in practice. Measuring accessibility is indeed a complex task, and AI outputs are difficult to communicate to target end-users, in particular, because these users are professionals from several disciplines with different languages and areas of expertise, such as urban geographers, spatial planners, transport planners, and budgeting professionals. In addition to this, AI developers seem to have little awareness of the needs of AI end-users, which in turn tend to have limited ability for using these tools. Against this complex background, our research focuses on the viewpoint of AI developers, with two aims: (1) to provide insights into how AI developers perceive their tools and (2) to understand how their perceptions might change after testing their AI with end-users. With this in mind, an analysis of 15 case studies was performed: groups of end-users tested different AI in structured workshops. Before and after the workshops, two questionnaires explored the AI developers’ perceptions on the tools and their usability. The paper demonstrates that the workshops with end-users were critical for developers to appreciate the importance of specific characteristics the tool should have, namely practical relevance, flexibility, and ease of use. The study provides evidence that AI developers were prone to change their perceptions about AI after interacting directly with end-users

This paper investigates the relation between sustainability and urban form. To this aim a system of Land-Use and Transport Interactions (LUTI) models has been designed and applied to the metropolitan area of Rome, to understand the interdependence of key variables such as travel behavior, transport supply, property values, jobs and residential location. The models represent the behavior of both dwellers and transport users and how they react to changing conditions. A system of assessment indicators has been defined to systematically test and compare alternative scenarios of urban form and to evaluate to what extent different locations and density distributions of activities achieve sustainability in terms of transport performances, social and environmental impacts

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The population growth of those living in urban areas reaches 50% of the total population, causing air pollution and energy consumption, which is also due to the high density of urban activities. This gradual process of urbanization, which covers an area equal to 2% of the world, is responsible for about 75% of the total consumption of resources. Although cities are the place where there is a wide concentration of energy demand and consumption, the attention given to the implications of this phenomenon is still inadequate. These considerations allow to perceive that such things require a broader strategy to solve the problem, based on the integration of urban, transport and environment policies for sustainable development. According to this awareness, the National Operative Programme (PON) funded "Smart Energy Master for the management of territory" has been developed; it is aimed at supporting local authorities in the development of strategies and tools for the reduction of energy consumption through actions designed to change behaviour (in terms of use and energy consumption). This paper describes some of the first results of the project, to develop a comprehensive/interpretive model at the urban scale. The paper is divided into three parts: the first part describes the current consumptions and future trends of building and transport sectors, focusing the attention on urban areas; the second part offers an overview of the main studies related to physical/functional characteristics of the city, buildings and transport; and the third part offers some causes for reflection on the need to change the range of interventions, to reduce urban energy consumption.

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