A regeneration approach for water and climate sensitive cities in peri-urban zones

The rapid expansion of urban areas, along with the increase of impervious surfaces and encroachment on floodplains, has resulted in significant challenges related to flood and climate risk, water quality, biodiversity, and preservation of essential ecosystem services. An effective approach to mitigate these impacts lies in Nature-based Solutions (NbS), which have emerged as promising strategies for enhancing both environmental sustainability and human well-being, and they have been demonstrated to play a pivotal role in climate change adaptation and mitigation. This research aims to quantify the potential effects of NbS on water- and climate-related ecosystem services over a specific site in Legnano city which is a peri-urban zone, western the Milan metropolitan area in the North-West of Italy. The study adopts an integrated approach to urban regeneration, examining how the implementation of NbS can enhance the provision of various ecosystem services. Specifically, pluvial flood storage, heat island mitigation and biodiversity are quantified as primary benefits in the study area. The paper emphasizes the improvement of service indicators through the NbS approach that can be applied to all urban areas, fostering the development of resilient cities and ensuring the well-being of both citizens and ecosystems.