Regenerating urban surfaces to achieve healthy and resilient neighbourhoods: a case study of Trento, Italy

Climate adaptation and mitigation are becoming a priority in urban planning practices and design. To effectively promote healthy and liveable conditions, an integrated approach is foreseen, balancing energy requirements, urban health and climate resilience. The transformation of urban surfaces, such as roofs, facades and open spaces, has a key role in this process. Indeed, they can contribute to producing renewable energy, reducing energy consumption, providing sustainable water management, and reducing outdoor temperature. Urban design plays an essential role in defining the types of materials and colors, ensuring an effective integration of different functions. This paper aims to provide design solutions for envelopes and open spaces to regenerate the existing built environment. First, a workflow is assessed defining the required services of the areas and the possible types of interventions. Finally, a set of solutions is proposed according to the type of surfaces and buildings. The application of the proposed approach has been tested in Trento, Italy, in a mixed-use neighbourhood. The suggested actions, based on the combination of nature-based, renewable energy sources and energy efficient technologies could constitute a guideline for practitioners and decision-makers to effectively retrofit urban areas.