Bologna created a local climate profile, risk assessment, and 10-year adaptation plan based on extensive community engagement in order to safeguard the Italian city from heavy rain, drought, and extreme heat.
Under the Bologna Local Urban Environment Adaptation Plan for a Resilient City (BLUE AP) project, the northern Italian city utilized an active, bottom-up participatory process to create a local climate profile, which analyzes the municipality’s climate vulnerabilities, a risk assessment mapping, and, ultimately, an adaptation plan for the next decade. Goals of the plan, many of which are underway through pilot programs, include the creation of more than 28,000 m2 and 15,000 m2 of semi-permeable and permeable surfaces throughout Bologna and cultivating 30 hectares of vegetable gardens around the city by 2025.
Sixty meetings with at least 500 participants were held during the project in order to engage citizens and bring them into the decision-making process. The city also created working sessions on five main topics, including greening, agriculture and garden, unconventional weather events, permeability projects, and economic development of the city area, where stakeholders from public, private, and civic organizations could weigh in on their area of expertise and contribute to the design and development of the local climate profile, risk map, and ultimate adaptation plan.
10 liters per day reduction in per capita water use by 2025 to conserve resources
The challenge
In recent years, Bologna has experienced a growing frequency and intensity of heavy rain, droughts, and heat waves. Under the BLUE AP project, the city has solicited public opinion and stakeholder engagement to create a local climate profile, detailing its strengths and weaknesses, risk assessment map, and full-fledged adaptation plan in order to address these vulnerabilities in the years to come.
Co-benefits
Economic The adaptation plan aims to reduce recovery costs associated with landslides, floods, and water-damaged infrastructure.
Environmental The plan’s guidelines for improved water drainage will not stress the sewage system and consequently will contribute to preserving the city’s water quality.
Health The plan includes an alert system in case of heat waves, designed to protect the city’s vulnerable residents from dangerous temperatures.
Social The bottom-up nature of the entire project, including the climate profile, risk map, and adaptation plan, have bolstered community engagement throughout Bologna.
About Bologna
Bologna is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna Region in Northern Italy. It is the seventh most populous city in Italy, located in the heart of a metropolitan area of about one million. Famous for its towers and lengthy porticoes, Bologna has a well-preserved historical centre (one of the largest in Italy) thanks to a careful restoration and conservation policy which began at the end of the 1970s, on the heels of serious damage done by the urban demolition at the end of the 19th century as well as that caused by wars.Bologna is also one of the wealthiest cities in Italy, often ranking as one of the top cities in terms of quality of life in the country: in 2011 it ranked 1st out of 107 Italian cities.
