RUIS project – urban regeneration and security, Zen

Description: The RUIS project (Riqualificazione urbana e sicurezza) centres on the urban redevelopment and security of the suburbs identified in the San Filippo Neri - Zen, Marinella, Sferracavallo, Partanna areas and is based on the implementation of interventions for the regeneration of dilapidated urban areas, through the promotion of environment quality improvement projects - urban decoration, maintenance, re-use and re-functionalisation of public areas and existing building structures - as well as for urban safety and strengthening the resilience of the areas The project also has the goal of increasing territorial security and urban resilience capacity; improving urban performance, also with reference to sustainable mobility; and developing practices - such as those of NGOs and the civil service - for social inclusion and for the creation of new metropolitan welfare models, also with reference to the adaptation of infrastructures aimed at sustaining social and cultural, educational and didactic services, as well as for cultural and educational activities promoted by public and private entities. (Naturvation, 2020; Consiglio dei Ministri, 2016).

Country: Italy

City: Palermo

City size: 158.09 km²

Population: 648,260 (PopulationStat, 2020)

start: 2017

Timeframe: No Data

Phase: Ongoing

Nature-based solutions (NBS) : Yes

Initiator: Municipality of Palermo

Website source: https://www.comune.palermo.it/noticext.php?id=13023 https://naturvation.eu/nbs/palermo/ruis-project-urban-regeneration-and-security

Latitude: 38.1824

Longitude: 13.3127

Co-benefits

Reduced drought risk, cooling effect, urban heat island mitigation

Yes, being the Northern area one of the most touristic ones, and by consequence highly populated (especially in summer), the creation of further green areas in neighbourhoods will face problems of heat waves (Naturvation, 2020).

Biodiversity conservation or increased biodiversity

Yes, the interventions will regenerate and expand existing areas within neighbourhoods, by creating pocket parks and planting new trees and arboreal species (Naturvation, 2020).

Ecosystem restoration and/or improved ecological connectivity

Yes, through the creation of additional neighbourhood green spaces (naturvation, 2020).

Increased quality and quantity of green and blue infrastructures

Yes

Sustainable urbanisation

The intervention aims at regenerating areas which are the most touristic ones, and highly populated (especially in summer), with a high index of social decay. The initiative is carried out in order to improve the urban resiliency of intervention areas, through the creation of further green areas in neighbourhoods dealing with problems of heatwaves and environmental degradation. (Naturvation, 2020).

Improved aesthetic value

Yes, by the regeneration and expansion of existing green areas within grey infrastructure in the northern part of the city of Palermo. (Naturvation, 2020).

Increased access to green infrastructure

Yes

Increased social interaction and inclusion

In addition, playground for kids and recreational area will be implemented to improve social cohesion. (Naturvation, 2020).

Provision of health benefits

Yes, interventions offer revitalisation and further extension of nature-based recreational areas for locals and tourists alike. (Naturvation, 2020).

Education, knowledge exchange and learning

Yes, the RUIS project also aims at the development of new EU models of urban well-being with regard to the adaptation of infrastructures for social and cultural, educational and didactic services, besides the support of cultural and educational activities provided by public and private entities. (Consiglio dei Ministri, 2016).

Original problems

Drought and heat risk

The Mediterranean Region is considered as a "hot-spot" of climate change, having been identified in global climate scenarios as one of the most responsive regions to climate change (Lionello and Scarascia, 2018). There is a consensus in scientific literature that average temperatures will rise across most of the Mediterranean Region, and that precipitation will decrease (Ulbrich et al. 2013; Lionello and Scarascia, 2018). Observed annual mean temperatures in the Mediterranean Region are now 1.4 °C higher than the average late-nineteenth-century levels particularly during the summer months (Cramer et al., 2018).

Low aesthetic value

Yes, the principal identified areas for the regeneration process are those which are deemed to be in a state of degradation (Naturvation, 2020).

Negative environmental impacts on human health

Yes, it is expected that the quality of life of the residents will improve substantially, once the interventions have been finalised (Naturvation, 2020).

SDGs

Good health and well-being (SDG3)

Yes

Sustainable cities and communities (SDG11)

Yes

Climate action, resilience, mitigation and adaptation (SDG13)

Yes

Terrestrial biodiversity (SDG15)

Yes

Reference: Cramer, W., Guiot, J., Fader, M., Garrabou, J., Gattuso, J.-P., Iglesias, A., Lange, M.A., Lionello , P., Llasat , M.C., Paz, S., Peñuelas, J., Snoussi, M., Toreti , A., Tsimplis, M.N., Xoplaki, E. 2018. Climate change and interconnected risks to sustainable development in the Mediterranean. Nature Climate Change. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-018-0299-2.

Consiglio dei Ministri. 2016. PROGETTO DI RIQUALIFICAZIONE URBANA INFRASTRUTTURE E SICUREZZA DELLA CITTÀ DI PALERMO D.P.C.M. Information obtained: 2020-09-24. Available (in Italian) http://www.governo.it/sites/governo.it/files/DPCM_20160525_testo.pdf.

Lionello, P., Scarascia, L. 2018. The relation between climate change in the Mediterranean region and global warming. In Regional Environmental Change, 2018, Volume 18, Issue 5, pp 1481–1493. Naturvation project. 2020. RUIS project – urban regeneration and security. Information obtained: 2020-09-24. Available at: https://naturvation.eu/nbs/palermo/ruis-project-urban-regeneration-and-security.

PopulationStat. 2020. Palermo, Italy Population. Information obtained: 2020-09-24. Available at: https://populationstat.com/italy/palermo.

Ulbrich U, Xoplaki E, Dobricic S, García-Herrera R, Lionello P, Adani M, Baldi M, Barriopedro D, Coccimiglio P, Dalu G, Efthymiadis D, Gaetani M, Galati MB, Gimeno L, Goodess CM, Jones PD, Kuglitsch FG, Leckebusch GC, Luterbacher J, Marcos-Moreno M, Mariotti A, Nieto R, Nissen KM, Pettenuzzo D, Pinardi N, Pino C, Shaw AGP, Sousa P, Toreti A, Trigo RM, Tsimplis M. 2013. Past and current climate changes in the Mediterranean region. In: Navarra A, Tubiana L (eds) Regional Assessment of Climate Change in the Mediterranean. Springer, Dordrecht, pp 9–52. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-5781-3_2.