• Energy Research

AbstractThe spatial assessment of Ecosystem’ Services could inform and support planning process to achieve sustainability as a major challenge for local community. Among others, the definition and implementation of Green Infrastructure based on the delivery of multiple ES is a key element of environmental planning aimed to maintain and restore the natural capital considering the interrelations between social and ecological aspects. The paper proposes a methodology for the spatial identification of the Regional Green Infrastructures in Lombardy Region (north-west of Italy) as a structural layer of landscape planning. Regional Green Infrastructures is designed to incorporate the multifunctional use of natural capital, especially its naturalistic, recreational and landscape vocation. The biophysical models of Habitat Quality were used as a proxy of natural values, the community maps of Recreation Potential with the Heritage properties was used as a proxy of recreation values, and finally a kernel density of positive visual elements has been used as a proxy of landscape values. The outputs were elaborated mainly using InVEST 3.2.0 software, integrated with a weighted overlay analysis tool of ArcGIS 10.3 version. Results were used to frame a preliminary base of landscape values for RGI, and are presented as a possible methodology to define a prescriptive layer of the new Regional Landscape Plan.

It is evident that different urban configurations have different energy consumption implications. Which is the contribution of the urban planning and design discipline in addressing sustainable future scenarios for the city is a crucial question. We believe that urban planners’ expertise can inform the debate on energy in three ways as follows: firstly, to assess the spatial dimension of energies in the urban landscape, thus acknowledging the physical layout as a key component of environmental sustainability. Secondly, to measure and quantify urban sustainability indicators, according to the increasing demand for evaluation and verification of urban policies; thirdly, to propose innovative design solutions for the built environment (both the fabric and the open areas), which optimize the use of energy and mitigate environmental depletion. This latter aspect should be intended as a long term research perspective aiming at informing the debate of new urban design and planning theories. The ultimate objective is to recognize the implications of different urban patterns and to promote site-related strategies and actions (eco-zoning). Outcomes of an experimental urban design studio on the topic ‘energy and urban planning’ are presented.

In recent years, green infrastructure (GI) has increasingly become a strategic tool to integrate ecosystem services in spatial planning at different scales. GI has the potential to foster the achievement of environmental targets and landscape enhancement promoted by several planning instruments that act at different territorial scales. Despite this, the combination of the GI strategy with other ordinary plans is poorly investigated and developed due to the difficulty in making planning instruments dialoguing in a transversal approach. This paper presents a case study in an Italian alpine sub-region (Media and Alta Valtellina, Province of Sondrio) focused on a regional GI—defined by a landscape plan—used for testing a replicable methodology to downscale regional strategies by combining them with sub-regional environmental and landscape rules and recommendations derived from planning instruments. The aim is to create an organic connection between GI goals and other sub-regional planning instruments that would otherwise remain siloed within the hierarchical downscaling process of the top-down planning system. The result is the development of a comprehensive matrix that is useful for downscaling the strategies established by a regional landscape plan in sub-regional landscape units that relapse at the local scale; this is also achieved through GI deployment and the promotion of site-specific nature-based solutions.

Recently, the concept of Ecosystem Services (ESs) has undergone a process of mainstreaming. It has been promoted in multiple policy documents and investigated in a growing number of studies addressing the functioning, assessment and management of ESs. Despite a general recommendation to integrate ESs into planning processes, this step remains highly critical yet far from complete. This paper explores the feasibility of the recommended uses of ESs for planning purposes by examining the needs of planners and decision-makers. A systematic literature review was conducted analysing different studies to overcome the limited adoption of ESs in planning verifying their operationalisation for planning practices. The paper classifies different purpose(s) assigned to ESs supporting the planning process. The results show that few experiments have adopted a step-by-step procedure facilitating the integration of ESs into planning and highlighting their added value in each phase of the planning process. In these cases, an ES-based Green Infrastructure has allowed for their integration into planning, also adopting a multi-scale spatial dimension. More practical experiments on how a planning process works are needed to operationalise the ESs concept for planning purposes, also reinforcing the role of the Strategic Environmental Assessment that is still marginal.

Rocinha (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) is the largest favela in South America. It is located on a steep mountain slope in the Tijuca National Park with a population of over 160,000 living in poor environmental, health and hygiene conditions. The geomorphological and urban setting of Rocinha makes it vulnerable to natural hazards, with the greatest risk posed by flooding or landslides, compromising the precarious balance between ecosystem services (ES) provision and human well-being. The paper aims to assess and map ES provision in a context where available data to identify areas vulnerable to natural risks is limited. The ES analyses were adapted to the specific socio-economic and environmental context of favelas, which are characterised by dense, continuously built-up environment and a high proportion of impervious surfaces, leading to deteriorating environmental, health and hygiene conditions over time. The ES-based approach was pivotal for setting out strategies—including nature-based solutions (NBS)—to mitigate disaster risk and increase local resilience. These strategies were selected taking into account the context of Rocinha and feasibility. The research shows that ES assessment can be the starting point for projects based on NBS with a view to increasing resilience even in environmentally critical contexts.

Climate change impacts urban areas with greater frequency and exposes continental cities located on floodplains to extreme cloudbursts events. This scenario requires developing specific flooding vulnerability mitigation strategies that improve local knowledge of flood-prone areas at the urban scale and supersede the traditional hazard approach based on the classification of riverine buffers. Moreover, decision-makers need to adopt performance-based strategies for contrasting climate changes and increasing the resilience of the system. This research develops the recent Flooding Risk Mitigation model of InVEST (Integrated Evaluation of Ecosystem Services and Trade-off), where cloudburst vulnerability results from the soil’s hydrological conductivity. It is based on the assumption that during cloudburst events, all saturated soils have the potential for flooding, regardless of the distance to rivers or channels, causing damage and, in the worst cases, victims. The model’s output gives the run-off retention index evaluated in the catchment area of Turin (Italy) and its neighborhoods. We evaluated the outcome to gain specific insight into potential land use adaptation strategies. The index is the first experimental biophysical assessment developed in this area, and it could prove useful in the revision process of the general town plan underway.

Urban afforestation is increasingly regarded as a key strategy for fostering biodiversity to restore and enhance the ecosystem services needed to counteract the effects of climate change in built-up areas. In Italy, several experimental afforestation projects have been launched as part of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP), focusing on cities or metropolitan areas such as Milan, Rome, Pistoia and Campobasso. These projects follow a multidisciplinary approach, integrating botanists, foresters, urban planners, landscape architects and remote sensing specialists. The goal is to address the challenging complexity of urban forest restoration through reforestation and afforestation actions. Key innovations include the integration of transdisciplinary methodologies (landscape analysis, landscape design, forest and plant ecology) with the application of advanced remote sensing technologies and participatory community engagement frameworks to address ecological and social challenges. Experimental plots have been set up across various urban areas, testing a range of planting schemes to maximise climate change resilience and ensure long-term ecological sustainability. Emphasis has been placed on selecting drought-tolerant and thermophilic species that are better adapted to widespread warming and local urban heat islands. ‘Biodiversity strips’ with perennial flowers for insects, shrubs with berries for birds and nests for wild bees and vertebrates have been set up to enhance biodiversity in new afforestation areas. Advanced monitoring tools, such as Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) and multi-sensor drones, have been employed alongside field observations to assess forest growth, species survival, structural complexity and biodiversity enhancement over time. Historical analyses of landscape patterns and ecological connectivity over the past 200 years, along with evaluations of afforestation projects from the last 70 years, have provided critical insights into the successes and challenges of previous interventions, serving as a guide for future efforts. By focusing on ecological connectivity, the integration of afforested areas into the urban matrix, and citizen engagement, the current project aims to align urban forestry efforts with sustainable development goals. This comprehensive project framework addresses environmental restoration and the social and aesthetic impacts on local communities, contributing to the overall resilience and well-being of urban and peri-urban ecosystems.