1. IUFRO 8.01.02 Landscape Ecology Conference 2017
The Green-Blue Nexus: Forests, Landscapes and Services
Assessing the recreation potential of green infrastructures in Trento (Italy):
a city-scale application of the ESTIMAP model
Chiara Cortinovisa, Grazia Zulianb, Joachim Maesb, Davide Genelettia
(a) University of Trento, DICAM – Planning and Design for Sustainable Places LAB – PLANES
(b) European Commission Joint Research Centre - Sustainable Resources, Unit D3 - Land Resources

2. objectives of the study
OBJ: investigating the potential and opportunities for day-to-day nature-based recreation in the city of Trento, considering both urban and non-urban activities
_ distribution of recreation opportunities across the city – hotspots and coldspots
_ potential planning and management interventions

3. researchers and policy-makers/city officers
Trento city lab within EnRoute
EnRoute - Enhancing resilience of urban ecosystems through green infrastructure
European Commission project in the framework of the EU Biodiversity Strategy and the Green Infrastructure Strategy, aimed at:
demonstrating the potential of the URBAN-MAES framework on a multi-scale application
investigating the science-policy interface and promoting effective interactions between researchers, practitioners, and policy-makers
improving networking and exchange of knowledge among cities
20 city labs across EU
each composed of
researchers and policy-makers/city officers

4. ESTIMAP recreation: general model for EU-wide applications
Potential (RP)
Recreation Opportunity Spectrum (ROS)
% potential trips / demand
IN: protected areas,
water,
degree of naturalness
OUT: raster map (range 0-1)
IN: RP,
road network,
urban areas
OUT: raster map (9 cat.)
IN: ROS,
population,
administrative units
OUT: statistics
methodological objective:
testing the model in a new case study at the city scale

5. ESTIMAP recreation: other local applications
OSLO
HELSINKI
TRNAVA
LOMBARDY REGION +
CASSANO D’ADDA +
PROVINCES OF LECCO AND VARESE
BARCELONA
urban
rural or protected

6. adjustments of the model for the case study in Trento
Recreation
Potential (RP)
Recreation Opportunity Spectrum (ROS)
% potential trips / demand
IN: natural features,
urban green infr.,
land use
OUT: raster map (range 0-1)
IN: RP,
access-related facilities,
use-related facilities
OUT: raster map (9 cat.)
IN: RP & ROS,
population,
administrative units
OUT: statistics
detailed and locally-relevant data
urban and non-urban
green infrastructures
distinction between
access- and use-
related facilities
focus on distribution
potential use for planning and management

7. URBAN GREEN INFRASTRUCTURES
results: recreation potential
NATURAL FEATURES
(e.g., mountain peaks, river areas, environmental heritage sites, caves, cascades, etc.)
URBAN GREEN INFRASTRUCTURES
(urban parks of different sizes and typologies, community gardens, tree-lined streets, etc.)
LAND USE
(based on their suitability as settings for nature-based recreation)
weighting
weighting
weighting
combination RP

8. results: recreation opportunity spectrum
low INFR
medium INFR
high INFR
low RP
ACCESS-RELATED FACILITIES AND INFRASTRUCTURES
(road network, local cycle paths, bus stops, parking areas)
USE-RELATED FACILITIES AND INFRASTRUCTURES
(e.g., alpine huts, mountain tracks, long-distance cycle paths, picnic areas, etc. + facilities in urban parks)
low INFR
medium INFR
high INFR
medium RP
low INFR
medium INFR
high INFR
high RP RP
weighting
weighting
combination
ROS

9. recreation opportunities across the city

10. different strategies for intervention (planning and management)
unequal distribution and possible interventions
different strategies for intervention (planning and management)
mountain village
far from the city center
low anthropization of forests
presence of natural areas
urban expansion
disordered mix of uses
high accessibility
high fragmentation
on the hills
close to the city centre
high accessibility
medium-to-high anthropization of forests

11. discussion
overall assessment of potential and opportunities for nature-based recreation, taking into account both urban and non-urban recreational activities
spatially-explicit analysis (urban planning perspective)
strenghts and weaknesses of different areas > different strategies (planning and management)
need for local adjustments to the model (local specificities & specific policy question)
critical importance of the weighting phase

12. conclusions (looking to EnRoute) and next steps
an exercise on the science-policy interface
a way to stimulate cross-sectoral collaboration and co-design
participatory setting > involvement of experts and stakeholders in the weighting phase
combination with other existing/ongoing analyses of other urban ecosystem services
knowledge base for the drafting of the new urban plan

13. Chiara Cortinovis Davide Geneletti Grazia Zulian Joachim Maes
Davide Geneletti
PLANES research group on planning for ES [www. planningfores.com]
Planning and Design for Sustainable Places Lab
Department of Civil, Environmental and Mechanical Engineering - University of Trento
Planning for Ecosystem Services
Grazia Zulian
Joachim Maes
European Commission Directorate General Joint Research Centre
Directorate D – Sustainable Resources
Unit 3 – Land Resources