A new model of “urban forestation” to reduce energy costs

A new model of “urban forestation” to reduce energy costs

At EIMA, the international agricultural machinery exhibition in Bologna (Italy), the World Green Infrastructure Network presented proposals for new standards on green areas in rural, commercial and public building renovations and new construction.

The association’s proposals revolve around the definition of new parameters for the renovation of commercial, rural and public buildings and for new residential constructions. These parameters should stimulate, through tax and financial incentives, a more rapid reduction in energy costs in the wake of the objectives set by the European Commission.

In particular, according to WGIN, green areas should be integrated in new zero-emission buildings and combined with installations of renewable energy systems: a combination that increases energy efficiency by between 5 and 10%. In addition, as regards the renovation of public, commercial and rural buildings, the introduction of a minimum green area standard should become indispensable to improve environmental mitigation measures.

“The time has come for Italy, with the support of other EU countries, to seriously promote a real European Green Deal for climate mitigation in urban areas,” said Riccardo Rigolli, agronomist and board member of WGIN.

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European Green Infrastructure Day 2025

European Green Infrastructure Day (EGIDay) is the Brussels based policy conference dedicated to exchange views on the state of affairs of urban green infrastructure in the EU and how to unlock their multiple benefits, for citizens, businesses and the environment. The fourth edition of the EGIDay took place on the 24th of April 2025. The event gathered in person EU policymakers, urban green infrastructure experts, local authorities and NGOs to discuss how to turn European cities from grey to green, contributing to climate adaptation and water resilience of Europe’s urban areas.  Speakers: Moderated by Luigi Petito, Head of European Chapter Secretariat, World Green Infrastructure Network Humberto Delgado Rosa, Director for Biodiversity, DG Environment Jutta Paulus, Member of the European Parliament, Group of the Greens/EFA Emily Bankert, Researcher, Buildings Performance Institute Europe Sirpa Pietikäinen, Member of the European Parliament, Group of the European People’s Party Jure Šumi, President of Management Committee & Member of Advisory Board, World Green Infrastructure Network Read the event report Take a look at the photos Download the full programme

PIISA Green Roofs Pilot

  PIISA (Piloting Innovation Insurance Solutions for Adaptation) is a Horizon Europe project that brings together 12 organization’s from 5 European countries, and is co-developing climate resilient insurance portfolios. The project consists of several pilots, including one that aims to provide cost-benefit analyses of green roofs as a climate change adaptation option in the main pilot location in the Netherlands. The effectiveness of insurance solutions to stimulate the adoption of green roofs are being tested in this pilot as well, e.g. information provision and insurance premium discounts. Various enablers and barriers of the uptake of green roofs are being examined as well. Based on this work, public-private partnerships will be identified to investigate sustainable finance arrangements that stimulate investments in green roofs. Business models for the Europe insurance industry will also be developed for the upscaling of nature-based solutions for climate risk. Using expert interviews and workshops it is also being examined how the results for the Netherlands are transferable to other pilot regions, i.e. the Boreal and Mediterranean, using qualitative analysis.   Insurers, e.g. Interpolis, have been involved in the co-creation process for the research in the pilot. Furthermore, (potential) policy holders have been involved in the research process through economic experiments within which the (biodiversity, flood risk reduction, etc.) values of green roofs and the effectiveness of insurance solutions to stimulate the adoption of green roofs have been tested. Insurers, municipalities, water authorities and real estate institutions are being involved in the identification and development of public-private partnerships of sustainable finance arrangements for investments in green roofs. City policymakers and insurers are being interviewed and included in workshops in the Netherlands, and the Boreal and Mediterranean regions to examine how costs and benefits of green roofs differ, and whether additional barriers and enablers should be considered in the scaling up of green roofs as an insurance solution. Partners involved: Institute for Environmental Studies (IVM), Vrije Universiteit (VU) Amsterdam(Lead) Climate Adaptation Services (CAS) Finnish Meteorological Institute(FMI) Tyrsky Consulting Politecnicodi Milano (Polimi) For more information visit: https://piisa-project.eu/pilot1

 iCARI launches RE-URBANEX

WGIN member iCARI kick-starts RE-URBANEX, a large-scale, EU-based public-private research project focused on long-term climate adaptation of built-up areas and building stock renewal. The current project evaluation exceeds €1.5 million and continues to grow, supported by a major PPP grant from STRABAG – one of Europe’s leading construction companies. Coordinated by iCARI and located on a 19,000 m² campus in Brno (Czech Republic), the project combines advanced data science, interdisciplinary collaboration, and high-frequency environmental monitoring. The aim is to test and verify real-world adaptation strategies: vegetation-based cooling, rainwater management, albedo optimization, indoor and outdoor air quality, and emission reduction. CzechGlobe, a top-tier climate change institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences, provides the project’s scientific backbone. Within the RE-URBANEX project, we explore a broad range of climate adaptation solutions and interactions, including green, blue, and grey infrastructure, the impact of urban heat islands, primary energy sources, BioSolar systems (combining greenery and photovoltaics), excess energy storage (including in the form of ice produced from harvested rainwater), indoor environmental quality, air quality, architectural and design strategies, and other innovative components. A dedicated part of the research also focuses on communicating results with an emphasis on practical application. RE-URBANEX is a living lab for cities, researchers, and companies ready to co-create tested, scalable solutions for climate resilience – backed by 15-minute interval measurements, running 7/24/365 over three years. The platform aims to expose and replace ineffective greenwashing with transparent and verifiable results. Timeline: October 2024 – December 2027 Key Deliverables: Climate-Sustainable Campus Plan Adaptation Handbook for Building Renewal Policy Recommendations for Municipalities & States Evidence-Based ESG Report for Public Institutions Guidelines for PPP Design and EU Funding Alignment Educational and Participatory Outputs Call for Technology Partners: If you develop innovative technologies for climate adaptation in urban environments and want to test them under real operational conditions – backed by detailed data and expert evaluation – RE-URBANEX offers a unique opportunity to become part of one of Europe’s most relevant adaptation projects. More information: www.icari.eu/reurbanex