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Sustainable Management Practices for Urban Green Spaces to Support Green Infrastructure: An Italian Case Study

Author

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  • Monica Pantaloni

    (Department of Agricultural, Food, and Environmental Sciences, Polytechnic University of Marche, 60131 Ancona, Italy)

  • Giovanni Marinelli

    (Department of Materials, Environmental Sciences and Urban Planning, Polytechnic University of Marche, 60131 Ancona, Italy)

  • Rodolfo Santilocchi

    (Department of Agricultural, Food, and Environmental Sciences, Polytechnic University of Marche, 60131 Ancona, Italy)

  • Alberto Minelli

    (Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences, Alma Mater Studiorum, University of Bologna, 40127 Bologna, Italy)

  • Davide Neri

    (Department of Agricultural, Food, and Environmental Sciences, Polytechnic University of Marche, 60131 Ancona, Italy)

Abstract

Traditional land-use planning models have proven inadequate to address contemporary issues in sustainable development and protection governance. In recent years, new ‘performance based’ approaches that integrate ecosystem services (ES) provided via green infrastructure (GI) into traditional spatial planning models have been proven to reach a higher level of environmental performance, necessary to improve quality of life for all people. In Italy, there are no mandatory planning instruments to design and manage GI, which still remains a component of the traditional land-use plan. Here, the development of urban green spaces (UGS) based on ‘quantitative assessment’ is not suitable for guaranteeing the supply of ES. In addition, the scarcity of financial resources to develop ‘green standards’, as prescribed in the land-use plan to strategically design the GI, is an issue for most Italian public administrations. The paper provides the results of a test case conducted in a public green area of the city of Ancona, where the experimentation of a diversified maintenance strategy of an urban lawn significantly reduced the management cost and improved the environmental performance of green spaces. The identification of a unified management strategy to be applied to all the public UGS can help to achieve better results in support of sustainability, to redesign the continuity of GI and to develop strategies for future urban green master plans.

Suggested Citation

  • Monica Pantaloni & Giovanni Marinelli & Rodolfo Santilocchi & Alberto Minelli & Davide Neri, 2022. "Sustainable Management Practices for Urban Green Spaces to Support Green Infrastructure: An Italian Case Study," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(7), pages 1-20, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:7:p:4243-:d:786154
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Sari Suomalainen & Outi Tahvonen & Helena Kahiluoto, 2022. "From Participation to Involvement in Urban Open Space Management and Maintenance," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(19), pages 1-19, October.
    2. Sandra Wajchman-Świtalska & Olga Grabowska-Chenczke & Marcin Woźniak, 2023. "Exploring the Patterns of Recreational Activity among Urban Green Spaces in Poland," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(6), pages 1-16, March.
    3. Kurtz, Katharine, 2024. "Prendersi Cura: Taking care of nature in Perugia, Italy," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 141(C).

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