VEG-GAP

The project

The project VEG-GAP "VEGetation for urban Green Air quality Plans" concerns the role of urban forestation in relation to plans and actions for improving air quality.

The main objective of VEG-GAP - the first preparatory project funded by the LIFE program in Italy - is to develop a strategy to provide new tools and information to support the design of urban plans for air quality in cities considering extent, distribution and type of vegetation.

Through specific studies for the three partner cities of the project (Bologna, Madrid and Milan) the effect of urban greenery on air pollution will be investigated, in particular on the concentrations of atmospheric particulate matter, ozone and nitrogen dioxide, and on air temperature with an integrated approach that considers the transport and formation of pollutants in the atmosphere together to buildings and vegetation.

The project aims to develop the first methodology and support tools for Municipalities to plan the implementation of green infrastructures in the city, avoiding choices that could create further risks for human health and for the vegetation itself but maximizing the benefits (LIFE Program - ref. LIFE18 PRE IT003 of 12.12.2018).

Duration: from December 2018 to December 2021

Coordinator: ENEA (Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development). 

Partners:

  • ARIANET Srl,
  • CDM (Municipalities of Milan),
  • CREA (Council for Agricultural Research and Economics), 
  • MAD (Madrid Municipality), 
  • MCBO (Metropolitan City of Bologna), 
  • MEEO (Meteorological and Environmental Earth Observation of Ferrara),
  • UPM (Universidad Politécnica de Madrid).

Budget:

Total project budget: € 1,673,668 - Total eligible project budget: € 1,666,667
EU financial contribution requested: € 1,000,000 (59,75 per cent of total eligible budget).

The main objective of the VEG-GAP project is to develop a strategy to provide updated and reliable information to support the design of air quality plans (AQPs), which consider the characteristics of the urban ecosystem and vegetation.

Specifically, the new data processed will concern the evaluation:

  • of the contribution of the plant ecosystem both as a source and as a remedy to air pollution in urban areas,
  • of the effects of the urban plant ecosystem on air temperature (urban heating and cooling models),
  • of its impacts on air quality with regards to the main pollutants. These data will allow a better understanding and evaluation of the possible risks and benefits for human health and for the ecosystems themselves, associated with air pollution and possible changes induced by vegetation and urban ecosystems. 

VEG-GAP aims to prove in a more evident and systemic way the importance of the plant ecosystem in the spatial structure of the city (development of urban open spaces and urban plans) and to incentivize the consideration of urban forestation as a measure to be included in quality plans of the air in the short and long term, aimed both at improving the quality of the air itself (avoiding new polluting hot-spots and decreasing pollution levels, and so on) and at improving the climate in the city (reducing temperatures and improving urban well-being, through green roofs, green infrastructure, and so on).

The VEG-GAP project is divided into the following actions:

  1. collect relevant information on initiatives and projects related to urban ecosystems, vegetation and air pollution,
  2. collect, evaluate and map the pollution characteristics of the air, ecosystems and vegetation in the partner municipalities,
  3. evaluate and map biogenic emissions according to ecosystems, the type of vegetation and according to meteorological conditions in the partner municipalities,
  4. evaluate the role of ecosystems and vegetation on urban heating and cooling in relation to air pollution in partner municipalities,
  5. assess the impact of ecosystems and vegetation on health and ecosystem risks due to their effect on air pollution in partner municipalities,
  6. develop an information platform and tools to support public bodies.

The project actions will focus on the urban areas of Bologna, Milan and Madrid, testing the project approach on specific local contexts, providing information for the development of plans for territorial governance, plans for air quality, plans for adaptation to climate change and urban forestry plans and projects.

The Metropolitan City of Bologna and the Municipalities of Milan and Madrid, in their dual role as local authorities and project partners, will have a fundamental role in translating the results of the project from research to governance and in giving them institutional ratification.

Updated: 16/07/2020