Laboratorio di progettazione ambientale urbana

The module aims to provide criteria, tools and methods for urban environmental design. The relationships between environmental and built resources will be deepened and the parameters that characterize the eco-compatibility requirements of the project will be defined. The tools for the design and management of urban spaces in an ecological and sustainable key will therefore be provided. Example case studies will be presented and the compositional principles of contemporary green spaces will be explained. Furniture, flooring and architectural elements will be treated, with particular regard to those made with eco-sustainable materials.

The theme of designing open spaces or the so-called 'urban void' in a sustainable key is currently a priority and is based on the consideration that urban open spaces must be managed and designed taking into account the multiple environmental functions that they can perform. We will therefore talk about energy saving, urban ecology, biodiversity, environmentally friendly technologies.

- plant biodiversity in an urban environment: the urban "ecosystem", urban flora, strategies for colonizing plants in the urban environment, the importance of using native species for urban planning (with particular regard to herbaceous species; wildflowers, rain gardens, SUDS and NBS); problems related to the presence of invasive alien species.
- the importance of biomonitoring for the characterization of plant-environment relationships; effects of the main air pollutants on plants and their resistance; efficiency of tree species for the reduction of fine dust and for the storage of atmospheric pollutants.
- the seasonal composition of the pollens and spores produced by the vertical and horizontal greenery, the detection of the same and the evidence of the impact on the population; main allergenic species.
- toxic plants as reported in the technical notebooks for health and safety of the Higher Institute for prevention and safety at work.

This part of the course will illustrate the morpho-physiological criteria for the seection of ornamental species to be used in an urban environment. In particular, the species resistant to shade, drought, poor fertility, the main pollutants of the soil (e.g. heavy metals), salinity and saltiness (coastal urban areas) will be illustrated.
The course will illustrate the botanical characteristics of the species potentially usable in urban environments. Finally, the physiological parameters to be taken into consideration for the selection in the nursery of new species to be used in the above-exposed environments will be described.