S07 - Session P1 - Urban Green Shapes - Impact on environmental quality: a case study in Southern Italy

Authors: Alba Mininni, Bartolomeo Dichio *, Giuseppe Carlucci , Teodosio Mazzolla , Vittoria Ditaranto , Ettore Vadini

Energy-related housing issues are between the main challenges Europe is facing. Today there is a need to make territories and cities more and more efficient from the energy point of view, allowing them to reduce consumption and, consequently, the environmental impacts. In this direction, the Urban Green Shapes (URGES) project studies public housing which represents a heritage to be maintained and safeguarded in many European cities. The project aims to demonstrate how the green infrastructures can contribute to environmental balance, urban and architectural quality, energy saving housing and human well-being. The analysis of national and international case studies supports the interdisciplinary experimentation conducted on a pilot site in Matera city (Southern Italy), outlining regenerative and sustainable solutions through green infrastructure. Environmental characterization was assessed to define the best species to plant in vertical and horizontal green solutions. Environmental water deficit is approx. 800 mm, the temperature during summer exceeds 40 °C, with the relative humidity (RH) reaching 20% during the hottest days. Several plant species, most of them native species, were evaluated defining the best performing ones in relation to the site conditions and the ease of management. Most of them are tolerant to water stress, with characteristics distinctive of xerophytes and mesophytes (i.e. Pistacia lentiscus , Phillyrea angustifolia, Rosmarinus officinalis , Lavandula angustifolia , Capparis spinosa ) and have been considered for their adaptability to stress conditions of high evapotranspiration environments. Ecosystem services of the green infrastructure will be evaluated by monitoring the main environmental parameters relating to energy saving, CO 2 sequestration, temperature mitigation, PM 10 , PM 2.5 , O 3 mitigation, with a focus also on the comfort of the structure, perception of the users of building and a cost/benefit ratio. The effects on atmospheric pollution mitigation and on the management of rainwater will be also evaluated.