Land take: Italy has over 2,100 km² of opportunities to curb the trend

Reversing course is possible: the first national mapping of recoverable areas is now available

Land take reaches a record pace in 2025: over 3 m² per second, with 280,000 square metres lost every day

It can be done! With over 2,100 km² of available land, Italy can begin to reclaim land, regenerate its cities, create new urban green spaces, remove pavement and curb land take. In 2025, land take reached record levels, expanding by a further 102 km² at a rate of more than 3 m² per second, equivalent to over 280,000 square metres per day.

The opportunities identified across the country also include 3,281 km² of land potentially suitable for urban afforestation and 1,116 km² of rooftop space available for photovoltaic installations. In addition, nearly 9.6 million vacant dwellings could be recovered and brought back into use.

Urban public areas suitable for restoration cover a total of more than 35,000 hectares, with the largest areas located in Lazio, Lombardy and Veneto. Among Italian municipalities, Rome ranks first.

These are some of the findings presented in the 2026 edition of the Report on Land consumption in Italy, produced by the Italian Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA) and the National System for Environmental Protection (SNPA). This year, the report not only measures the extent of land take but also provides the first national mapping of potentially recoverable land.

Program

Report and synthesis

Press release (ita)

Presentation of Michele Munafò

Soil consumption

Photo: "Dal consumo di suolo alla rigenerazione urbana e territoriale"