Cagliari, Cagliari (FUA), Italy
City population: 384743
Duration: 2023 – 2024
Implementation status: Completed
Scale: Micro-scale: District/neighbourhood level
Project area: 5500 m2
Type of area: Public Greenspace Area
Last updated: September 2024

In January 2024, the municipality of Cagliari inaugurated three new green areas in the city, adding five and a half hectares of green spaces for residents to enjoy. These areas are located between Keplero, Avicenna, and Parigi streets, not far from the city center (Refs. 1 & 2). The primary goal of this initiative is to mitigate the effects of climate change, particularly rising temperatures. The green areas are designed to reduce the city's heat island effect and contribute to carbon sequestration. The planting of new trees will also help maintain ecosystems and improve environmental conditions in targeted areas . Special attention was given to soil quality, with most projects incorporating walkways equipped with drainage systems (Refs. 1, 2, & 4). Additionally, the new infrastructure aims to foster social engagement and attract more citizens, who will benefit from these improvements. (Refs. 1 & 2). This initiative is also expected to boost the local economy by encouraging the development of small complementary services (Ref. 3). It is part of a larger municipal project co-funded by the EU.

Park for children with slide and a pair of swings
Fenced garden with spaces dedicated to children's games and spaces for relax with seats and an area for dogs. (Ref.1)
Agenzia Nova

Overview

Nature-based solution

  • Parks and urban forests
  • Pocket parks/neighbourhood green spaces

Key challenges

  • Climate action for adaptation, resilience and mitigation (SDG 13)
  • Climate change adaptation
  • Climate change mitigation
  • Environmental quality
  • Soil quality improvement
  • Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
  • Green space creation and/or management
  • Regeneration, land-use and urban development
  • Promote natural styles of landscape design for urban development
  • Health and well-being (SDG 3)
  • Creation of opportunities for recreation
  • Social justice, cohesion and equity (SDG 10)
  • Social cohesion
  • Social interaction
  • Sense of community and community engagement
  • Economic development and employment (SDG 8)
  • Tourism support

Principal problems in Functional Urban Area (FUA)

  • Climate-Related Hazards
  • Heat stress & Extreme temperatures
  • Environmental Degradation
  • Soil degradation and loss
  • Health, Well-being and Social cohesion
  • Physical health harm (from pollution, wildfire, extreme temperature)
  • Inadequate access to recreational opportunities
  • Loss of sense of place and identity
  • Social fragmentation and isolation
  • Poor community engagement

Key priorities

Climate action (adaptation and/or mitigation), Social Justice and community

Focus

Creation of new green areas, Creation of any other green urban spaces, Ecological restoration of ecosystems, Soil remediation and revegetation, Remediation activities of sites with very poor environmental quality

Project objectives

The project focused on: 1. To revitalize green spaces: Introduce new infrastructure such as benches, trash bins, playgrounds, and dog-friendly areas, alongside planting grass and various tree species with customized irrigation systems (Refs. 1, 2, & 4). 2. To address climate change mitigation: Mitigate climate change impacts, focusing on reducing temperature increases and lessening the Urban Heat Island Effect while promoting carbon sequestration by incorporating new trees and vegetation into the site (Refs. 1, 2, & 4). 3. To improve soil health: Enhance soil quality and health by incorporating walkways with drainage systems to support sustainable urban development (Refs. 1, 2, & 4). 4. To enhance social engagement by attracting more citizens to use these spaces, improving the environmental quality of life and accessibility for citizens, fostering a stronger sense of integration and community (Refs. 1, 2, & 4). (Ref. 3). 5. To support economic recovery: Aid in the region's economic recovery by creating interconnected green spaces throughout the city (Ref. 3).

Implementation activities

The project focused on 3 locations totaling 5,500 sqm and involved planting grass, perimeter hedges, and various local tree species such as jacarandas, carobs, Washington palms, albizia, oleanders, and Mediterranean shrubs (Refs. 1, 2, & 4). Customized irrigation systems have been developed to support the newly planted greenery and reduce climate-related risks (Refs. 1, 2, & 4). A draining system has been installed along the walkways to enhance soil management and mitigate climate hazards (Refs. 1, 2, & 4). Infrastructure such as playgrounds, benches, dog areas, and rubbish bins has been implemented to attract citizens and foster social engagement (Refs. 1, 2, & 4).

Climate-focused activities

Climate change adaptation:

  • Increase urban vegetation cover to reduce urban heat island effect
  • Implement sustainable urban drainage schemes to manage stormwater

Climate change mitigation:

  • Increase the availability of green urban space for carbon storage (street tree cover)

Biodiversity conservation or restoration-focused activities

Biodiversity conservation:

  • Protect and enhance urban habitats
  • Preserve and strengthen existing habitats and ecosystems
  • Create new habitats

Biodiversity restoration:

  • Rehabilitate and restore damaged or destroyed ecosystems
  • Restore native species
  • Restore valued species

Main beneficiaries

  • Citizens or community groups
  • Young people and children

Governance

Management set-up

  • Government-led

Type of initiating organisation

  • Local government/municipality

Participatory approaches/ community involvement

  • Unknown

Details on the roles of the organisations involved in the project

- The European Commission: Provided the funding for the PON metro project under the React-EU directive, which was managed in collaboration with national governments (Ref. 8). - National Government: it assigned the funding of the EU to the metropolitan cities involved in the project (Ref.8). - Comune di Cagliari: it initiated the intervention within the framework of the PON metro project and co-financed the action (8)

Project implemented in response to ...

... an EU policy or strategy? Unknown
... a national policy or strategy? Yes (The project responds to: PON Metro 2014-2020, an investment program for the implementation of strategies for sustainable urban development in Italian Metropolitan Cities co-financed by the European Union. (1,2))
... a local policy or strategy? Yes (The project has been developed as part of the Cagliari strategy within the PON metro project. The PON Metro is a strategic tool designed to address social, environmental, and economic sustainability challenges in urban areas. This program aims to improve the quality of services provided by local administrations and to promote social inclusion by tailoring interventions to the specific needs of each territory. The key areas of intervention include the metropolitan digital agenda, the sustainability of public services and urban mobility, social inclusion services, and infrastructure for social inclusion. (1,2))

Type of enablers

Funds, subsidies or investment for GI/NBS in the city (available for the city or provided by the city)

Financing

Total cost

Unknown

Source(s) of funding

  • Public local authority budget
  • EU funds

Type of funding

  • Earmarked public budget
  • Direct funding (grants, subsidies, or self-financed projects by private entities)

Non-financial contribution

Unknown

Impacts and Monitoring

Environmental impacts

  • Climate change
  • Enhanced carbon sequestration
  • Expected enhanced carbon sequestration
  • Energy efficiency improvements
  • Expected energy efficiency improvements
  • Prevent the frequency and/or intensity of heatwaves
  • Expected prevent the frequency and/or intensity of heatwaves
  • Green space and habitat
  • Increased green space area
  • Achieved increased green space area
  • Reduced biodiversity loss
  • Expected reduced biodiversity loss
  • Increased number of species present
  • Achieved increased number of species present

Economic impacts

  • Stimulate development in deprived areas
  • Expected stimulate development in deprived areas

Socio-cultural impacts

  • Social justice and cohesion
  • Improved liveability
  • Expected improved liveability
  • Increased opportunities for social interaction
  • Achieved increased opportunities for social interaction

Type of reported impacts

Presence of formal monitoring system

Yes

Presence of indicators used in reporting

Yes

Presence of monitoring/ evaluation reports

Yes

Availability of a web-based monitoring tool

Yes

Potential risks of implementation and trade-offs

Unknown

References

1.
Agenzia Nova (2024). Sardinia: three new green areas opened in Cagliari in the European quarter. Accessed on August 6, 2024, [Source link];
2.
Comune di Cagliari (2024). Aperte tre nuove aree verdi nel quartiere europeo. Cagliari: Accessed on August 6, 2024, [Source link];
3.
Comune di Cagliari (n.d.). Asse 6 - Ripresa verde, digitale e resiliente REACT-EU. Cagliari: Accessed on August 6, 2024, [Source link];
4.
Comune di Cagliari (n.d.). Realizzazione di nuove aree verdi e recupero di aree degradate. Cagliari: Accessed on August 6, 2024, [Source link];
5.
Comune di Cagliari (n.d.). La strategia di Cagliari. Accessed on August 8, 2024, [Source link];
6.
Comuni di Cagliari (n.d.). Mappa informativa del verde pubblico. Cagliari: Accessed on August 8, 2024, [Source link];
7.
Comune di Cagliari (n.d.). Quartiere Europeo. Cagliari: Cagliari turismo, Accessed on August 8, 2024, [Source link];
8.
PN Metro plus (n.d.). Città Metro Plus. Accessed on August 9, 2024, [Source link];
9.
Comuni di Cagliari (2022). Atlante Demografico di Cagliari. Cagliari: Accessed on August 9, 2024, [Source link];
naturescapes bannerInformation about this nature-based solution was collected as part of the Naturescapes project funded by the European Union under Grant Agreement No 101084341.