Available online http://amq.aiqua.it 
ISSN (print): 2279-7327, ISSN (online): 2279-7335 

 
 

Alpine and Mediterranean Quaternary, 31 (2), 2018, I - I  

QUATERNARY AND URBAN GEOLOGY 
   
 

Adele Bertini, Maria Gabriella Forno
 

 
 

 
In the Italian peninsula, cities and towns are very complex systems where both environmental and 

social dynamics interact. Urban Geology gains insight into Earth surface processes by means of a varie-
ty of disciplines such as geomorphology, engineering geology, environmental geology, economic geolo-
gy and hydrogeology. At the same time it proposes strategies for the sustainable use of subsurface re-
sources in urban contexts.  

 
On December 15, 2017 at the Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra of Florence (Italy) AIQUA set up a 

meeting between specialists involved with the various issues of Quaternary Urban Geology. The mee-
ting day focused on the state of knowledge and on the prospects for development and implementation of 
urban sustainability policies, under non-emergency circumstances but rather for the purpose of preven-
tion. The meeting, which was chaired by A. Bertini, M. Coli and G. Forno, included three invited lectures 
and eight free oral communications.  

 
This volume of AMQ contains eight of the contributions presented at that meeting. Together with the 

discussions and the final round table, these talks represent AIQUA’s first integrated contribution on Ur-
ban Geology in Italy. The papers focus on both metropolitan cities, such as Rome and Turin, and smal-
ler towns; two analyses were directed to unique places such as Matera (European capital of culture 
2019) and Perugia. Key case studies address specific urban geology issues; these include in-depth geo-
logical and geomorphological analyses focused on different depositional (e.g. volcanic sediments, mari-
ne deposits, continental gravels) and morphological (flat, hilly or steep) contexts. The presence of a high 
number of historically and monumentally valuable archaeological sites in these studies shows how ur-
gent is the need for the implementation of geoscientific teamwork aimed at developing integrated Geoar-
chaeology. The final contribution in the volume is devoted to the use and management of renewable 
energies, especially geothermal energy. This paper stresses the importance of geosciences for sustai-
nability calls, especially in cities overcrowded with people. All the papers of this volume show that the 
knowledge of the subsurface and awareness of geoscience issues are vital to the preservation of urban 
landscape. This expertise contributes to our resilience to natural hazards (e.g. flooding, ground instabili-
ty, drought) as well as to the development of strategic land-use planning. In this perspective taking early 
actions to identify actual and potential problems, in urban context, is crucial to effectively face the chal-
lenges, which also have economic and social implications. 

The associated editors take the opportunity to thank all the contributors to this volume. We also 
thank the many colleagues who reviewed the volume as well as the editor-in-chief of AQM who assisted 
us with this special issue.  

 
The associated editors Adele Bertini and M. Gabriella Forno 

 



   

 

 

 

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