Studies and research

In recent years, cities are going through major changes and facing major challenges in terms of sustainability. In order to promote the green transition, today many urban centres needs to plan the regeneration of brownfield areas. In this context, Nature-Based Solutions (NBSs) are often considered an effective tool to promote the green transition and the sustainable development of cities, especially thanks to the numerous ecosystem services they can provide. However, even though the effectiveness of NBSs is now recognised, there are still many barriers to their implementation. According to existing literature, one of these barriers is the effective assessment of the benefits provided by NBSs.

In order to fill this gap, this study analyses two alternative NBS-based intervention scenarios for the redevelopment of an urban brownfield area within the municipality of Brescia (Italy). Specifically, these interventions involve an urban forest and meadows with sparse trees. The study assesses nine ecosystem services, both in biophysical and economic terms, through a combination of modeling (InVEST, i-Tree and ESTIMAP) and traditional estimation methods. According to the study’s results, both scenarios improve the stock and flow of ecosystem services compared to the baseline, providing annual flows ranging between €140,000 and €360,000/year. Overall, the results highlight the potential of the proposed NBS to improve urban resilience. Finally, this study provides an example of how research and practice can be integrated to inform urban management activities and provide input for future decision-making and planning processes regarding urban developments.

TITLE OF THE ARTICLE
 Urban Forests and Green Areas as Nature-Based Solutions for Brownfield Redevelopment: A Case Study from Brescia Municipal Area (Italy)

AUTHORS
V.A.

PUBLICATION
Forests, Volume 13, Issue 3 (March 2022)

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The term “Green Infrastructure” (GI) has mainly been discussed from an adaptation strategy perspective in cities and urban areas. However, as this volume shows, GI are relevant for rural and suburban areas too, proving many positive benefits. One of the most important characteristics of GIs is their multifunctionality, as they help maintain biodiversity and traditional landscapes while providing an efficient tool for disaster prevention. This is particularly relevant with regard to climate change, which puts a lot of constraint on grey infrastructures, since they were not designed for such intense and frequent extreme weather events.

The volume “Green Infrastructure and Climate Change Adaptation” was produced with multiple aims in mind. First, to introduce the progress on the evaluation, implementation, and governance of green infrastructure (GI) in Japan and in other countries. Second, to provide scientists, university students, and practitioners with basic information on the structure, function, and maintenance of GI. Third, to accelerate transformative change for green strategies to adapt to climate change.

Alessandro Leonardi form Etifor has contributed to the production of this volume. His contribution describes how to design an appropriate and cost-effective forest green infrastructure for water payment schemes to protect and improve water quality.

ARTICLE’S TITLE
Forest Green Infrastructure to Protect
Water Quality: A Step-by-Step Guide for
Payment Schemes. 

AUTHORS
V.A.

PUBLICATION
Green Infrastructure and Climate Change Adaptation: Function, Implementation, and Governance.

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