LIFE URBANGREEN

Climate change

Climate change poses a significant challenge to society as approximately 80 of European citizens reside in urban areas which are highly susceptible to the impacts of climate change, including heatwaves, flooding and droughts while at the same time cities are also prone to the urban heat island effect.

Furthermore, climate change increases risks to urban environments and green infrastructure, undermining the security of citizens Firefighters and emergency teams frequently intervene due to safety threats posed by falling branches and trees.

Expanding green areas and improving green management efficiency offer the opportunity of mitigating the negative effects of climate change enhancing the urban quality of life, and fostering resilience Green areas improve the microclimate, prevent flooding during heavy rainfall, and reduce thermal stress on hot days.

Efficient management of green areas

The LIFE URBANGREEN project aimed to upgrade the GreenSpaces management platform which supports municipalities and green managers in their daily work by setting new standards and is already in use in over 200 cities worldwide with innovative tools for optimising water consumption, reducing the carbon footprint of maintenance activities, quantifying ecosystem services, monitoring tree health using remote sensing data, and increasing citizen participation in urban green management

The platform efficiently manages the maintenance of green areas to increase their benefits for citizens and save resources During the project’s lifetime it has significantly contributed to the climate change adaptation of Rimini and Kraków

GreenSpaces highlights the environmental benefits of greener cities and demonstrates efficient ways to organise tree supervision and maintenance while minimising risks LIFE URBANGREEN helps municipalities expand their green infrastructure and improve management and safety compared to traditional systems As climate models forecast an increase in extreme weather events, accurate tree care and standard procedures become increasingly important

GreenSpaces

(a message from the coordinating beneficiary R 3 GIS srl)

With our GreenSpaces tool, cities have the ability to reduce urban green areas management costs and simultaneously increase their environmental benefits.