Proposal of an impact prediction tool for the environmental assessment of projects and spatial planning, based on LCA

The paper reports research demonstrating the potential of using LCA methodology as a support tool for decision makers at various scales - from building to the territorial scale – through sustainable development. The research attempts to define an assessment tool to be used by local authorities (i.e. municipalities) in order to evaluate the environmental impact of projects and spatial planning that needs preliminary approval, like the construction permit of a building, the EIA (Environmental Impact Assessment), the SEA (Strategic Environmental Planning). The L.C.Inventory includes select database profiles of the different case studies included in the fields of spatial planning and urban design: residential and public buildings (construction or renewal), urban areas (new or renewal), industrial sites, infrastructure (roads, railways, electricity lines, water pipelines, etc.), waste treatment systems, etc. The paper explores both the limits and benefits of using a tool that provides a quick evaluation of the environmental impact of public and private proposals through a software interface that links to a customized comparison (using different coefficients) of Life Cycle Assessments in the selected database. More generally, these results show the potential of integrating LCA methodology into the environmental assessment of city policy, planning, urban design and project (i.e. SEA)