New Paradigms for the Urban Regeneration Project …
63
of NBS and often not applying any monitoring of ex-post results of the interventions.
In particular, the case studies analysed by the study (38% in Europe, 12% in Asia and
50% in North America) stress that: in 40% of the cases, the interventions were carried
out for socio-cultural purposes (regenerating the landscape and providing new green
spaces); in 38%, to create a particular regulatory ecosystem service (specifically for
the management of water and the prevention of floods). Moreover, only 50% of the
interventions were supported by quantitative data about possible obtainable environmental benefits (they were mostly North American cases; only in three European
projects, there was a quantitative anticipation of the researched benefits).
This scenario contradicts the fact that “the long-time sustainability of decisions
can be pursued only by following performance-based approaches capable of integrating environmental, economic, productive and socio-cultural components” (Tartaglia
2019). For this reason, the research activities were carried out first by identifying
and, when necessary, developing performance indicators, able to both support the
decisional process during the project activity for public spaces on a local scale and
monitor and assess the benefits obtained.
4 Environmental Design and Measurement of the Impact
of Alternatives
The understanding and anticipation of the potential results, their scalability and the
ex-post assessment relating to local and punctual interventions are essential to build
a link that connects European policies, national and regional programming, urban
planning, local action and single projects. The environmental design, based on a
systemic approach to problems and solutions, finds in the quantitative measurement
of the impacts which is a necessary tool for its theoretical armoury. It is not only a
problem of state indicators as the attention must be focused on performance indicators to have a complete operative design tool, easily applicable and not limited to
highly specialised researchers. In particular, the research has focused on a core set
of environmental indicators able to synthesise the effects of the decisions in terms
of direct and indirect environmental benefits, also in indirect economic outcomes
(avoided costs). In fact, as already anticipated, the ecological reconstruction of an
urban environment is an economic opportunity both to reduce the costs of adaptation
and management and to stimulate the birth and the development of companies in the
field of green economy. From this perspective, there are interesting North American
cases in which the increase of NBS in urban settlements and the application of GI
instead of grey solutions have been estimated from an economic standpoint as well.
7
7 Particularly interesting are the experiences of the city of Philadelphia described in the report
“Triple Bottom Line Assessment of Traditional and Green Infrastructure Options for Controlling
CSO Events in Philadelphia’s Watersheds” by Stratus Consulting (2009).
63
of NBS and often not applying any monitoring of ex-post results of the interventions.
In particular, the case studies analysed by the study (38% in Europe, 12% in Asia and
50% in North America) stress that: in 40% of the cases, the interventions were carried
out for socio-cultural purposes (regenerating the landscape and providing new green
spaces); in 38%, to create a particular regulatory ecosystem service (specifically for
the management of water and the prevention of floods). Moreover, only 50% of the
interventions were supported by quantitative data about possible obtainable environmental benefits (they were mostly North American cases; only in three European
projects, there was a quantitative anticipation of the researched benefits).
This scenario contradicts the fact that “the long-time sustainability of decisions
can be pursued only by following performance-based approaches capable of integrating environmental, economic, productive and socio-cultural components” (Tartaglia
2019). For this reason, the research activities were carried out first by identifying
and, when necessary, developing performance indicators, able to both support the
decisional process during the project activity for public spaces on a local scale and
monitor and assess the benefits obtained.
4 Environmental Design and Measurement of the Impact
of Alternatives
The understanding and anticipation of the potential results, their scalability and the
ex-post assessment relating to local and punctual interventions are essential to build
a link that connects European policies, national and regional programming, urban
planning, local action and single projects. The environmental design, based on a
systemic approach to problems and solutions, finds in the quantitative measurement
of the impacts which is a necessary tool for its theoretical armoury. It is not only a
problem of state indicators as the attention must be focused on performance indicators to have a complete operative design tool, easily applicable and not limited to
highly specialised researchers. In particular, the research has focused on a core set
of environmental indicators able to synthesise the effects of the decisions in terms
of direct and indirect environmental benefits, also in indirect economic outcomes
(avoided costs). In fact, as already anticipated, the ecological reconstruction of an
urban environment is an economic opportunity both to reduce the costs of adaptation
and management and to stimulate the birth and the development of companies in the
field of green economy. From this perspective, there are interesting North American
cases in which the increase of NBS in urban settlements and the application of GI
instead of grey solutions have been estimated from an economic standpoint as well.
7
7 Particularly interesting are the experiences of the city of Philadelphia described in the report
“Triple Bottom Line Assessment of Traditional and Green Infrastructure Options for Controlling
CSO Events in Philadelphia’s Watersheds” by Stratus Consulting (2009).