Urban Green Development and Resilient Cities: A First Insight into Urban Forest Planning in Italy

Luca Battisti (), Fabrizio Aimar, Giovanni Giacco and Marco Devecchi
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Luca Battisti: Department of Cultures, Politics and Society, University of Turin, Lungo Dora Siena 100 A, 10153 Turin, Italy
Fabrizio Aimar: Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering, Faculty of Architecture and Design, Polis University, Rruga Bylis 12, 1051 Tirana, Albania
Giovanni Giacco: Department of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology (DIETI), University of Naples Federico II, Via Claudio 21, 80125 Naples, Italy
Marco Devecchi: Research Centre for Rural Development of Hilly Areas, University of Turin, Largo Paolo Braccini 2, Grugliasco, 10095 Turin, Italy

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 15, 1-19

Abstract: The research proposes an application of a modification of the 3–30–300 rule to identify areas that require Urban Forestry implementation in small and medium-sized Roman and/or medieval urban areas. The selected case study is that of Asti in Piedmont, Italy. An open source, cross-platform desktop geographic information system is used to process geospatial datasets via qualitative analyses of electoral sections (or wards). An analysis of the number and distribution of trees around each building is performed, in addition to the calculation of tree canopy cover and distance between buildings and green spaces. Findings reveal that 64 out of 70 wards have an average of at least three trees per building and sufficient green areas of at least 0.5 hectares within 300 m of the buildings. Additionally, the tree canopy cover ranges from approximately 0.6% (lowest) to about 55% (highest) for the electoral sections. Lastly, findings suggest that the highly built-up urban fabric in these areas may significantly affect the availability and quality of green spaces. In conclusion, the case study proves the benefits of applying the 3–30–300 rule to small and medium-sized urban areas using an integrated assessment approach based on nature-based solutions and ecosystem services.

Keywords: nature-based solutions; urban heat islands; InVEST software; urban cooling; QGIS; tree canopy cover; ecosystem services (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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