The Ecological Efficiency of Green Materials in Sustainable Urban Planning—A Model for Its Measurement

Isidoro Fasolino, Federica Cicalese, Alessandro Bellino (), Michele Grimaldi, M. Rosario del Caz-Enjuto and Daniela Baldantoni
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Isidoro Fasolino: Department of Civil Engineering, University of Salerno, via Giovanni Paolo II 132, 84084 Fisciano, Italy
Federica Cicalese: Department of Civil Engineering, University of Salerno, via Giovanni Paolo II 132, 84084 Fisciano, Italy
Alessandro Bellino: Department of Chemistry and Biology “Adolfo Zambelli”, University of Salerno, via Giovanni Paolo II 132, 84084 Fisciano, Italy
Michele Grimaldi: Department of Civil Engineering, University of Salerno, via Giovanni Paolo II 132, 84084 Fisciano, Italy
M. Rosario del Caz-Enjuto: Department of Urbanism and Representation of Architecture, Universidad de Valladolid, Avenida Salamanca 18, 47014 Valladolid, Spain
Daniela Baldantoni: Department of Chemistry and Biology “Adolfo Zambelli”, University of Salerno, via Giovanni Paolo II 132, 84084 Fisciano, Italy

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 22, 1-17

Abstract: Urban green planning is crucial in promoting sustainable urban ecosystems through the mindful use of vegetation, but few approaches are currently able to account for the ecosystem services provided by urban green planning in ex ante planning applications. The present research proposes a methodological approach to sustainable urban planning that accounts for the ecological role of vegetation in urban ecosystems. Indeed, by estimating the functions exerted by different vegetation elements in urban ecosystems through a purposely developed set of equations, the procedure allows for the optimization of the development of urban plans by maximizing the contribution of vegetation to ecosystem dynamics. Specifically, the proposed methodology is articulated in two phases, i.e., the functional role of vegetation is firstly modeled through simple geometric features and specific ecological traits accounting for plant interactions with the environment, and then the selected vegetation traits are used in guiding the choice of the species. The approach has been exemplified through case studies, thereby highlighting its ability to guide planning decisions based on the type, abundance, and spatial organization of vegetation to promote the sustainability of urban development.

Keywords: urban sustainability; urban landscape; vegetation functions; ecological dynamics; 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
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