Nature-based solutions co-creation and simulation of land use and socio-economic impacts in Genova, Italy

• Type: Article in International Conference Proceedings Book
• Date: 2024

Authors

Mendonça, Rita (Author) Other; Roebeling, Peter (Author) Other; Fidélis, Teresa (Author) Other; Saraiva, Miguel Marinho (Author) FLUP

Conference proceedings International

Title: Greening our cities: sustainable urbanism for a greener future: a culmination of selected research papers from the International Conferences on Green Urbanism (GU) – 6th edition and Urban Regeneration and Sustainability (URS) – 2022

Pages: 117-125

International Conferences on Green Urbanism (GU), 6th edition and Urban Regeneration and Sustainability (URS)

2022

Indexing

ISI Web of Science

Other information

DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-49495-6_9

Abstract (EN): Urbanization alters urban patterns, which might decrease quality of life as well as its resilience to climate change impacts, namely in European contexts. Nature-based solutions (NBS) are acknowledged as effective tools to support urban sustainability, with environmental, economic and social benefits and co-benefits, having the ability to steer urbanization processes and increase urban resilience. Recent studies have mostly looked at the effects of NBS on flooding, urban heat island as well as air quality, while only few studies assess its socio-economic impacts, such as urban sprawl, gentrification and real-estate value, namely in combination with stakeholder engagement approaches. Hence, the objective of this study is to assess the land use and socio-economic impacts of NBS in an urban context through NBS co-creation and simulation. To this end, the Sustainable Urbanizing Landscape Development (SULD) model is used to assess the impacts of co-created NBS scenarios (i.e. urban park, green roofs and green and blue space) for the case study of Genova in Italy. Results show that NBS have the ability to promote urban compactness, population density and real-estate values while increasing the share of green urban areas and access to attractive amenities, depending mostly on their degree of attractiveness, size, location and the original amount of greenness. Nevertheless, the green and blue space NBS led to some green gentrification. Hence, this NBS, considered the most attractive NBS, had the greatest land use (urban contraction, ratio of open space to build form and per cent built up area) and socio-economic impacts (gentrification, real-estate value appreciation, household density and living space); followed by the urban park and finally green roofs, considered the least attractive NBS, that posed small land use and socio-economic impacts. Overall, NBS do have an impact on the urban form and its dynamics, however, they might cause some green gentrification.

Language: English

Type (Professor's evaluation): Scientific