Cities are our future, and a better global future lies in urban innovation and action. To combat climate change, one of the main challenges is to make our cities greener and more sustainable.
As the majority of future humans will live in cities, the solution to climate change will reside there too and the space sector can make a significant contribution in this respect. Urban greenery can improve air quality and promote wellbeing. ESA is working with municipal authorities to identify how space can help to create sustainable cities in which people are healthier, happier, and more productive.
To discuss this topic, the webinar “Space for Twin Cities: Green and Sustainable Cities” was organised by the ESA Downstream Gateway and streamed on March 25th 2021, from 17:00 to 18:00 CET.
Under the moderation of ESA Earth Observation representative Guenther Landgraf, ESA representatives Roberta Mugellesi Dow, Stefano Ferretti and Ilaria Zilioli discussed the importance of ecosystem services in urban areas together with the assessor Marzia Marchesi and William Senna from the Municipality of Bergamo, Marco Marchetti, president of Alberitalia and Professor at the Molise University, together with Marcello Maranesi, chief executive officer at Gmatics.
William Senna, from the Municipality of Bergamo, presented how the city, deeply affected by the first wave of the pandemic, is dealing with the pain and loss it suffered. He presented three topics that represent the past, the present and the future of the city: the main cemetery, an iconic place for the city, the peculiar monumental trees, spread throughout the city, and the Wood of Memory, a memory wood realised within one of the urban parks of the city to remember the victims of the pandemic.
Stefano Ferretti, from the Earth Observation Directorate at ESA, illustrated the importance of forests for the survival of the human species and, in particular, how urban green can improve the quality of life of people living in cities. Finally, he showed how Earth Observation data, together with in-situ information, can help develop greener and more sustainable cities.
Marco Marchetti and Marcello Maranesi, from Molise University and Gmatics, presented the several benefits of urban trees and green areas, ranging across urban resilience, preservation of biodiversity and reduced flood risks. The Alberitalia foundation and the Mafis project where also presented, alongside their missions, visions and the results of their activity.
Roberta Mugellesi Dow, from the Downstream Business Applications Department at ESA, illustrated the several challenges that cities will face in the near future: e.g. overpopulation, pollution, poverty and natural disasters. She also highlighted the goals for a more sustainable urban development and how ESA can help startups and companies develop their projects.
| William Senna – Public Green Management, Public Housing Service, Buildings and Plants – Municipality of Bergamo | Green and sustainable cities |
| Stefano Ferretti – Science, Applications and Climate Department at Directorate of Earth Observation – ESA | Space and sustainable development Green cities |
| Marco Marchetti – Professor of Forest Management – Molise University, President – Alberitalia Foundation Marcello Maranesi – CEO – Gmatics Srl |
Green and sustainable cities |
| Roberta Mugellesi Dow – Business Applications Manager, Downstream Business Applications Department – ESA | Green and sustainable cities |