The Role of Non-Urbanized Areas for Designing an Urban Green Infrastructure

Abstract

This paper presents an Urban Green Infrastructure (UGI) design approach
aimed at re-defining the role of green area network as part of the Land
Use Masterplan of the city of Catania (Italy), a southern Mediterranean
city. It is a particularly relevant and challenging case considering
the
substantial lack of green spaces, which characterizes the urban environment
of this city. The proposed approach is intended as a tool for implementing
planning actions that aim to include existing Non Urbanized
Areas (NUAs) into the construction of a Green Infrastructure. Actions are
proposed to define and build different design scenarios including longitudinal,
radial and urban core connections through specific Design Elements
(Green Lines, Green Wedges and Green Hooks). As a result, UGI
would provide an increase of green spaces up to 2250 % compared to
the current amount of public green areas. Integrating rural landscapes
into leisure areas, through protection and promotion of urban and periurban
agriculture, would substantially increase the total amount of
usable and accessible green space within the municipal boundary.