From ENEA 25 solutions against heat islands in cities

From urban micro-forests to green shelters and 'pocket parks', and numerous other solutions to alleviate the effects of extreme heat. In other words, 25 nature-based solutions to combat extreme heat. The initiative, financed with European funds, is part of the project 'Climate Adaptation, The Urban Heat Island Effect in the City of Rome', in which, in addition to ENEA, the University of Roma Tre, the Ecologic Institute of Berlin and PricewaterhouseCoopers - PwC Italia, which is the coordinator, are participating.

The project aims to identify 'the most suitable solutions to combat the so-called 'heat islands' in municipalities I (historic centre) and V (Tiburtino-casilino), which are considered to be at greater risk due to high temperatures. In places where the temperature is higher due to urbanisation. Because the replacement of vegetation with inert materials, asphalt and cement, which heat up quickly while releasing heat slowly, 'causes an alteration of the city's energy balance'.

The project proposals range from the creation of urban forests to tree-lined boulevards with parks and gardens and beyond. Green roofs and green walls are also part of the interventions. The project includes the construction of green canopies near bus and tram stops, capable of cooling the air thanks to the shading and evapotranspiration of the plant component and more efficient in improving the microclimate than normal canopies. In addition, vegetated street furniture, permeable pavements and green tramways "thanks to which it is possible to transform the space between the tracks into real ecological corridors that favour the infiltration of rainwater into the ground and the growth of vegetation; 'pocket' parks and micro-forests that recreate corners of nature even on small marginal surfaces, representing 'cool islands' where citizens and tourists can find relief from the summer heat".

Solutions that, as Elisabetta Salvatori, head of ENEA's Integrated Solutions for Urban Regeneration Section, points out, 'increase biodiversity and foster urban resilience'.

The project also includes training for local administrators to strengthen skills in urban green management and promote new green jobs for the sustainable regeneration of cities in the era of climate change. An activity considered by the researcher to be "fundamental because to be effective, nature-based solutions must be designed, cared for and managed according to ecological criteria, including the use of species of local flora, with low allergenic power, and using the principle of the right tree in the right place".