Geotechnical characteriztion of urban areas.

The management of buildings and infrastructures, the planning of new developments and the exploitation of natural sources in urban areas require a comprehensive assessment of the subsoil conditions, which must be conducted at a suitable scale by combining geological and geotechnical analysis. In the present study this analysis has been performed for the subsoil of Cassino (Italy). This city, located in a relatively complex geological context, extends over an area of fewsquare kilometres.Alarge amount of information coming from different investigation campaigns has been collected and combined into a single framework with the objective of devising the most refined subsoil characterisation. An inspection on the subsoil litho-stratigraphy at large depth has been initially accomplished, starting from larger scale analysis and focusing on the city area by means of specific investigations. The geotechnical analysis, conducted at more shallow depths, has allowed to outline an overall profile and to make statistical evaluations of the most relevant soil mechanical properties.