VerdeVale
Lugano participated in an Interreg project to develop innovative methodologies and technologies for urban green space management in the field while also quantifying the benefits of green spaces, enhancing their environmental, cultural, and economic value.
Every city, albeit to varying degrees, faces a series of environmental challenges ranging from air quality to heat islands and accessible green spaces. All these factors have consequences on the quality of life and the economic performance of cities.
This is why, today, urban green spaces can no longer be considered merely as "aesthetic decor"; in fact, they offer a genuine service to citizens as they play a crucial role as essential allies for urban climate and climate change mitigation.
Managing public green spaces is a priority for the Municipal Administration. Therefore, the City of Lugano participated, alongside the City of Bolzano, in the Interreg VerdeVale project. Between the summer of 2020 and that of 2022, innovative technologies for urban green space management were developed in the field, capable of quantifying the ecosystem benefits of the public green heritage.
In Lugano, sensors were applied to ten plants, some in Parco Ciani and others among the tree-lined avenues nearby, to gather valuable information on their activity and physiology. The sample included trees of various species, growing either in natural contexts (such as the park) or in paved areas.
Monitoring allowed the collection of data on photosynthetic activity, evapotranspiration (the amount of water lost through soil evaporation and plant transpiration), water transport in the aerial parts of plants, leaf health, diameter growth, and stability, as well as soil and air temperature and humidity. Thanks to this data, it was possible to calculate the amount of stored CO₂ and the potential to absorb pollutants.
With the collection and comparison of data - applicable in other urban contexts - it will be possible to design and implement urban greenery that meets the political and social needs of cities, while also demonstrating its economic sustainability.
The interactive map on public greenery
The VerdeVale project has also enabled the development of a citizen portal, allowing the Municipal Administration to highlight the value of public greenery and how it contributes to making urban environments more resilient. Communicating the environmental value of the city to citizens in a clear and immediate way is particularly important now, at a time when strategies are needed to cope with heat waves, drought, and extreme weather events.
On the portal, citizens can explore the various elements that constitute urban greenery through the use of an interactive map. In addition to the species and age of trees and shrubs, information is provided on how plants contribute to mitigating the effects of climate change through CO₂ sequestration, fine dust absorption, and energy savings. The data is constantly updated.
The VerdeVale project was co-financed by the Swiss Confederation, the Cantons, the European Regional Development Fund, the EU, and the Italian State as part of the Programma di cooperazione Interreg V-A Italia-Svizzera (Interreg V-A Italy-Switzerland Cooperation Program).
The City of Lugano also organized an interactive webinar on public green space management in January 2021, as well as the VerdeVale concluding congress, held at the Palazzo dei Congressi on July 20, 2022.
The English version of this page was created with the aid of automatic translation tools and may contain errors and omissions.
The original version is the page in Italian.