Socioeconomic and Environmental Benefits of Expanding Urban Green Areas: A Joint Application of i-Tree and LCA Approaches

Mariana Oliveira, Remo Santagata (), Serena Kaiser, Yanxin Liu, Chiara Vassillo, Patrizia Ghisellini, Gengyuan Liu and Sergio Ulgiati
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Mariana Oliveira: International PhD Programme/UNESCO Chair “Environment, Resources and Sustainable Development”, Department of Science and Technology, Parthenope University of Naples, Centro Direzionale, Isola C4, 80143 Naples, Italy
Remo Santagata: Department of Engineering, Parthenope University of Naples, Centro Direzionale, Isola C4, 80143 Naples, Italy
Serena Kaiser: International PhD Programme/UNESCO Chair “Environment, Resources and Sustainable Development”, Department of Science and Technology, Parthenope University of Naples, Centro Direzionale, Isola C4, 80143 Naples, Italy
Yanxin Liu: School of Management and Engineering, Capital University of Economics and Business, Beijing 100070, China
Chiara Vassillo: Department of Engineering, Parthenope University of Naples, Centro Direzionale, Isola C4, 80143 Naples, Italy
Patrizia Ghisellini: Department of Engineering, Parthenope University of Naples, Centro Direzionale, Isola C4, 80143 Naples, Italy
Gengyuan Liu: State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
Sergio Ulgiati: State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China

Land, 2022, vol. 11, issue 12, 1-16

Abstract: Green infrastructures deliver countless functions for counteracting climate change, air pollution, floods, and heat islands, contributing at the same time to water and carbon recycling as well as to renewable energies and feedstock provisioning. Properly addressing such environmental problems would require huge investments that could be decreased thanks to the further implementation of urban forests. Local administrations are designing participative projects to improve territories and their living conditions. The i-Tree Canopy modelling tool and the life cycle assessment method are jointly applied to evaluate the potential benefits of increasing tree coverage within the boundaries of the Metropolitan City of Naples, Southern Italy. Results highlighted that tree coverage could increase by about 2.4 million trees, thus generating 51% more benefits in pollutants removal, carbon sequestration and stormwater management. The benefits are also explored and confirmed by means of the life cycle assessment method. The potential tree cover is expected to provide a total annual economic benefit of USD 55 million, purchasing power parity value adjusted, representing USD 18 per citizen and USD 99,117 per square kilometre of implemented urban forest. These results can support a potential replication elsewhere and provide a reference for the sustainable improvement of cities by expanding urban green areas.

Keywords: urban forest; green infrastructures; i-Tree tool; life cycle assessment; ecosystem functions; nature shaped circularity (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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