The global population is steadily raising worldwide, particularly in cities where the negative effects of urbanization, such as air pollution, heat waves and floods, harm the environmental quality and the well-being of citizens. The ongoing expansion and densification of urban areas are further exacerbating their consequences and drastically reducing green spaces and biodiversity. Urban green infrastructures (UGI) are recognized as sustainable solutions to improve the ecological quality of urban areas and can significantly contribute to mitigate such pressures through the regulation of environmental conditions. The implementation of UGI in urban governance requires a deep knowledge of the different contributions provided by urban tree species and decision-support tools such as models help to evaluate the main ecosystem services. This study integrates modelling and laboratory measures provided by urban parks and tree-line streets in three cities located in the Po Plain (Northern Italy): Pavia, Ferrara and Rimini. The Po Plain area is characterized by intense anthropic activities, poor biodiversity features and peculiar morphological characteristics, which worsen the environmental conditions of cities. Four regulating services were considered: air pollution removal, heat waves mitigation, flooding prevention and climate regulation (i.e. carbon sequestration and avoided CO2 emission). Moreover, tree biodiversity, relative coverage of green areas and the percentage of urban greenery available per capita were measured. The results showed different pattern of regulating services related to the different urban context (e.g. pollution regime, climate) as well as tree composition. The peculiar case of cities located in the Po Plain needs a specific focus for the improvement of the environmental quality and an effective planning of UGI can significantly contribute in this regard preventing human health issues.
Regulating services of urban parks and tree-line streets in 3 cities of Northern Italy with different species compositions
Pace R;Muresan AN;Calfapietra C;
2020
Abstract
The global population is steadily raising worldwide, particularly in cities where the negative effects of urbanization, such as air pollution, heat waves and floods, harm the environmental quality and the well-being of citizens. The ongoing expansion and densification of urban areas are further exacerbating their consequences and drastically reducing green spaces and biodiversity. Urban green infrastructures (UGI) are recognized as sustainable solutions to improve the ecological quality of urban areas and can significantly contribute to mitigate such pressures through the regulation of environmental conditions. The implementation of UGI in urban governance requires a deep knowledge of the different contributions provided by urban tree species and decision-support tools such as models help to evaluate the main ecosystem services. This study integrates modelling and laboratory measures provided by urban parks and tree-line streets in three cities located in the Po Plain (Northern Italy): Pavia, Ferrara and Rimini. The Po Plain area is characterized by intense anthropic activities, poor biodiversity features and peculiar morphological characteristics, which worsen the environmental conditions of cities. Four regulating services were considered: air pollution removal, heat waves mitigation, flooding prevention and climate regulation (i.e. carbon sequestration and avoided CO2 emission). Moreover, tree biodiversity, relative coverage of green areas and the percentage of urban greenery available per capita were measured. The results showed different pattern of regulating services related to the different urban context (e.g. pollution regime, climate) as well as tree composition. The peculiar case of cities located in the Po Plain needs a specific focus for the improvement of the environmental quality and an effective planning of UGI can significantly contribute in this regard preventing human health issues.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
