1. General information Location and description of the intervention City or FUA Cagliari (FUA) Region Europe Native title of the NBS intervention Il Canale navigabile della Città Metropolitana di Cagliari Short description of the intervention The Cagliari Canal project is an initiative aimed at revitalizing and transforming the urban and natural landscape of the Cagliari Metropolitan Area in Sardinia. The project is rooted in the city's strategic metropolitan plan and seeks to restore and enhance the navigability of the Terramaini-La Palma canal, which had become disused and neglected over time (3,4). The primary goal of the Cagliari Canal project is to develop a connected, innovative, and sustainable urban environment by re-establishing the canal as a green and blue infrastructure (2). It aims to provide alternative, sustainable mobility options, improve connectivity between municipalities, and enhance the natural and urban environments. It strives to foster a sense of community by creating a shared space for residents and integrating modern amenities that align with environmental sustainability (1,4). It involved a highly participatory process, emphasizing community involvement from the initial planning stages. The Metropolitan Authority of Cagliari, in collaboration with local stakeholders, launched a series of consultations to gather public input on the canal's design and function(3). These consultations were part of a broader initiative called LabMet, the Metropolitan Laboratory for Innovation, which facilitated the collection of ideas and feedback (1). The project was partly developed in response to the increasing environmental challenges faced by Cagliari, including the need to adapt to climate change. The canal's revitalization is seen as a key measure for enhancing the city's resilience to climate-related risks, such as flooding and heat waves(1). By restoring the canal and its surrounding areas, the project aims to mitigate these risks through improved water management, reducing pollution, and the creation of green spaces that can absorb excess rainwater and provide cooling effects (2) Principal problems Climate-Related Hazards Coastal hazards (e.g. erosion, flooding) Heat stress & Extreme temperatures Environmental Degradation Biodiversity loss Poor water quality Health, Well-being and Social cohesion Inadequate access to recreational opportunities Implementation area characterization Climate Temperate ( Humid subtropical, Hot-summer Mediterranean, Warm-summer Mediterranean, Warm-temperate with dry winter) Ecosystem Rivers/streams Urban or built environment Address Italy Location The NBS area is spread over a linear space, the GIS coordinates serve as points along a line (e.g. along a river) Area boundary (map-based) Area description Urban (main city) Type of area before implementation of the NBS Freshwater setting (e.g. river, channel, lake, pond) Sea coast (e.g. dunes, beach) Timeline of intervention Start date of the intervention (planning process) 2022 Start date of intervention (implementation process) 2023 End date of the intervention ongoing Present stage of the intervention Ongoing 2. Objectives of the intervention Objectives of the intervention Goals of the intervention The vision is one of a metropolitan area that is green, liveable, thriving and, above all, one that listens to its residents. The city is working with locals to uncover and regenerate the waterway, making it a pathway for smart and environmental mobility, a place to gather and meet, a safe haven for biodiversity and an integrated experiential narrative (Ref 1). Specific goals include: - To enhance the city’s resilience to climate-related risks by improving water management and increasing green space (Ref 1, 2). - Restore the canal’s ecological and mobility function (Ref 1, 2) - Enhance biodiversity and urban green-blue networks (Ref 2) - Promote sustainable transport (electric boats, cycling paths) (Ref 1, 2) - Support climate resilience, intermodality, and air quality (Ref 2) - Creating tree-lined avenues and new green spaces along the canal corridor helps mitigate urban heat island effects (Ref 2). Key Priorities Climate action (adaptation and/or mitigation) Sustainability challenge(s) addressed Climate action for adaptation, resilience and mitigation (SDG 13) Climate change adaptation Environmental quality Air quality improvement Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15) Green space creation and/or management Water management (SDG 6) Flood protection Improvements to water quality Health and well-being (SDG 3) Creation of opportunities for recreation Climate change adaptation: What activities are implemented to realize the conservation goals and targets? Increase urban vegetation cover to reduce urban heat island effect Implementation activities and NBS focus Implementation activities - Restoration of the Terramaini–La Palma canal to create a continuous green-blue corridor connecting urban and natural areas (Ref. 1, 2) - Creation of tree-lined avenues along both sides of the canal and adjacent cycling paths to combat urban heat and improve air quality (Ref. 2) - Development of new green public spaces and improved ecological connectivity along the canal route, linking to Molentargius Park and the S. Gilla lagoon (Ref. 2) - Integration with green and blue infrastructure networks, enhancing the resilience of Cagliari’s wetland ecosystems (Ref. 2) - Installation of electric boat infrastructure, including recharging stations, supporting clean mobility and reducing air pollution (Ref. 2) - Inclusion of sports and recreational water-based uses (e.g. canoe storage) to promote sustainable interaction with aquatic ecosystems (Ref. 2) - Energy optimization of surrounding public buildings (schools, markets, sports facilities) as part of the broader “Sustainable Ring” strategy (Ref. 2) - Landscape enhancement around docking points, designed to blend sustainable mobility infrastructure with natural aesthetics (Ref. 2) Type of NBS project Maintenance and management of urban nature Maintenance or upgrade of exisiting green spaces (e.g. parks) Ecological restoration of ecosystems Restoration and protection of ecosystems (including water ecosystems) 3. NBS domains, ES and scale NBS domain and interventions Ecological domain(s) where the NBS intervention(s) is/are implemented Blue infrastructure Rivers/streams/canals/estuaries Parks and urban forests Pocket parks/neighbourhood green spaces Green corridors and green belts Amenities offered by the NBS Playgrounds Sports areas and equipment Complementing infrastructure (bathrooms, café) Design elements for well-being Visual elements (e.g., expansive views, scenic views, natural light, diverse vegetation) Auditory elements (e.g., birdsong, water features, quiet areas, rustling leaves) Services Expected ecosystem services delivered Provisioning services Water (surface and ground water for drinking and non-drinking purposes) Regulating services Local climate regulation (temperature reduction) Coastal protection Habitat and supporting services Habitats for species Cultural services Recreation Scale Spatial scale Micro-scale: District/neighbourhood level Beneficiaries Demographics in implementation area The area surrounding the canals in Cagliari, particularly the Molentargius and Terramaini areas, is characterized by a unique blend of natural and urban landscapes. These areas have undergone significant changes over time, influenced by both natural processes and human activities. The urbanization around the canals, especially near the Molentargius lagoon, has expanded significantly, often encroaching on the natural ecosystem. This expansion has resulted in pollution and other environmental challenges, which eventually led to a halt in salt production in the area (5) Socio-economic profile of the area Mixed income Communities vulnerable to environmental hazards or climate change impacts Unknown Primary Beneficiaries Citizens or community groups Young people and children Specify primary beneficiaries “We decided to have this kind of project because all the people asked us to,” explains Isabella Ligia, Head of the Strategic Planning at the Metropolitan Authority of Cagliari. Such interventions are also key to adapting to climate change and important nexuses for cooperation with industry and local people. Through the Metropolitan Laboratory for Innovation, ‘LabMet’ for short, local people, businesses, academic institutions and other players have been able to contribute their ideas about everything from the future of the city to where the boats should stop along the canal. LabMet is not exclusively online. It also uses in-person engagement, like focus groups and workshops. “The ultimate goal of LabMet,” Piredda explains, “is to make local people a part of the monitoring of all the other activities of the city’s strategic plan.”(1). Numerous school and sports facilities and civic markets will be the subject of an energy optimization project, aimed at saving and technological innovation; many urban and extra-urban green creations to combat heat waves and mitigate the presence of pollutants; many places enhanced and returned to the population, with great involvement of the third sector. (2) The consultation on the project of the navigable canal of the Metropolitan City of Cagliari is aimed at the participation of all the relevant actors of the Cagliari area, starting with all the active citizens and stakeholders who took part in the previous participatory actions of the strategic plan: Local territorial bodies involved; Third sector entities and citizens self-organised in informal groups; Schools, universities and research centres; Technicians and professionals of the relevant disciplines; Businesses and representatives of the world of work; Active citizens and all those who intend to contribute with proposals and suggestions (3) Marginalized groups Children, young people or youth groups Measures for inclusion of marginalised groups The consultation on the project of the navigable canal of the Metropolitan City of Cagliari is aimed at the participation of all the relevant actors of the Cagliari area, starting with all the active citizens and stakeholders who took part in the previous participatory actions of the strategic plan: Local territorial bodies involved; Third sector entities and citizens self-organised in informal groups; Schools, universities and research centres; Technicians and professionals of the relevant disciplines; Businesses and representatives of the world of work; Active citizens and all those who intend to contribute with proposals and suggestions. (3) Other beneficiaries Local wildlife (e.g., birds, pollinators) Natural habitats (e.g. wetland, forests, coastal areas) 4. Governance and financing Governance Governance arrangements Government-led Please specify the roles of the specific government and non-government actor groups involved in the initiative The Cagliari Metropolitan Area used the canal project to test innovative participatory approaches, empowering residents to shape the city's vision and practical measures. Through the Metropolitan Laboratory for Innovation (LabMet), local people, businesses, academic institutions, and other stakeholders contributed ideas on various aspects, including the future of the city and the placement of boat stops along the canal. The consultation involved all relevant actors in the Cagliari area, including local government bodies, third-sector entities, informal citizen groups, schools, universities, research centers, professionals, businesses, and active citizens. These groups provided feedback through questionnaires, addressing the location and accessibility of canal stops, among other issues. With the initial participatory phase now complete, project leaders and engineers are reviewing all responses to ensure that public input and useful insights are incorporated into the final designs (1,3,4 Key actors - initiating organization Local government/municipality Key actors - Other stakeholders involved (besides initiating actors) Public sector institution Citizens or community group Researchers/university Private sector/corporate actor/company Stages of citizen and community engagement Planning and design (e.g. site selection, identification of key priorities) Feedback during project implementation (e.g. review sessions) Monitoring and evaluation of project outcomes Level of citizen and community engagement High Community empowerment or capacity-building initiatives Creation of collaborative decision-making processes that actively involve community members Participatory methods/forms of stakeholder involvement (all stakeholders) Co-planning (e.g. stakeholder workshops, focus groups, participatory mapping) Consultation (e.g. workshop, surveys, community meetings, town halls) Citizen monitoring and review Uncommon actors ("Missing actors") Public Services Schools Private Sector Local businesses (e.g. stores, restaurants) Land owners Public space owned by the city Policy drivers NBS intervention implemented in response to a Regional Directive/Strategy Yes Please specify the "Regional Directive/Strategy" The intervention is part of the System Action within the Metropolitan Strategic Plan drawn up by the Metropolitan City of Cagliari. Ref 2 NBS intervention implemented in response to a national regulations/strategy/plan Unknown NBS intervention implemented in response to a local regulation/strategy/plan Unknown Mandatory or voluntary intervention Voluntary (spontaneous) Enablers & Barriers Type of enablers City network or regional partnerships focused on climate change, sustainability, GI or NBS in the city Please provide details (e.g, name of the plan or strategy) for the selected policies or initiatives. the most important implementation intervention of the metropolitan strategic plan financed with resources made available by the Ministry of the Interior under the national recovery and resilience plan (PNRR) ref 2 Governace and decison-making instruments Legislative and regulatory instruments (e.g. laws, strategies, regulations or restrictions) Strategic instruments (e.g. GI strategies, green space strategy or plans) Arrangements for governance cooperation Formal coordination mechanisms to oversee project implementation and decision-making (e.g., multi-stakeholder steering committees, working groups) Barriers unknown Financing Total cost More than €4,000,000 Please specify total cost (EUR) 101 million euros. Ref 2 Source(s) of funding Public local authority budget Public national budget Type of fund(s) used Earmarked public budget Non-financial contribution Unknown Co-finance for NBS Unknown Entrepreneurship opportunities Unknown Business models Business models Risk reduction model Green densification model Which of the involved actors was motivated by this model? Public actor (e.g. municipality) 5. Evaluation and learning Impacts, benefits Environmental impacts Climate change Lowered local temperature Expected lowered local temperature Reduced emissions Expected reduced emissions Water management and blue areas Increased protection against flooding Expected increased protection against flooding Green space and habitat Increased green space area Achieved increased green space area Increased ecological connectivity across regeneration sites and scales Achieved increased ecological connectivity across regeneration sites and scales Reduced biodiversity loss Expected reduced biodiversity loss Enhanced support of pollination Expected enhanced support of pollination Description of environmental benefits -Achieved increased ecological connectivity across regeneration sites and scales & -Achieved increased green space area: Initiated revitalisation of green-blue corridor and improved ecological connectivity (Ref 1) -Expected enhanced support of pollination & Expected reduced biodiversity loss: Improved biodiversity and pollinator habitats along canal banks (Ref 2) -Expected reduced emissions: Climate mitigation through tree-lined avenues and reduced vehicular use (Ref 2) -Expected lowered local temperature: The creation of tree-lined avenues and new green spaces along the canal corridor helps mitigate urban heat island effects (Ref. 2). -Expected increased protection against flooding: The restoration enhances ecological connectivity and buffers sensitive areas like wetlands and lagoons (e.g., Molentargius, S. Gilla), improving resilience to flooding and ecosystem stress (Ref. 2). Economic impacts More sustainable tourism Expected more sustainable tourism Increased property prices Expected increased property prices Description of economic benefits -Expected more sustainable tourism: Boost to local eco-tourism and sustainable mobility services (Ref 2) -Expected increased property prices: Increased property value and urban attractiveness (Ref 1, 2) Social and cultural impacts Social justice and cohesion Improved social cohesion Expected improved social cohesion Improved access to urban green space Expected improved access to urban green space Increased opportunities for social interaction Achieved increased opportunities for social interaction Increased involvement of locals in the management of green spaces Achieved increased involvement of locals in the management of green spaces Education Increased knowledge of locals about local nature Expected increased knowledge of locals about local nature Description of social and cultural benefits -Achieved increased opportunities for social interaction: Broad civic engagement through LabMet and Urban Center labs (Ref 1, 4) -Expected improved social cohesion & Expected improved access to urban green space: Strengthened social ties and access to public space post-COVID (Ref 1). -Achieved increased involvement of locals in the management of green spaces & Expected increased knowledge of locals about local nature: 1. Through the Metropolitan Laboratory for Innovation, ‘LabMet’ for short, local people, businesses, academic institutions and other players have been able to contribute their ideas about everything from the future of the city to where the boats should stop along the canal. The goal of LabMet is to create a laboratory to gather open data for a community of participation, a priority within the strategic plan of the 17 municipalities of metropolitan area. “There has been a real implementation of the will of local people for the canal project in Cagliari,” says Claudia Piredda, an Architect for the Metropolitan Area of Cagliari who has been working on the LabMet process. (ref 1). Evidence for use of assessment Presence of an assessment, evaluation and/or monitoring process Unknown Presence of indicators used in reporting No evidence in public records Presence of monitoring/evaluation reports No evidence in public records Availability of a web-based monitoring tool No evidence in public records Name of any specific impact assessment tools unknown Use of GIS in mapping impacts No evidence in public records Cost-benefit analysis Unknown Transparency Inclusion of diverse stakeholders in project governance processes (e.g. planning, implementation, monitoring, etc.) Justice Community satisfaction Unknown Description of locals satisfaction with the project unknown Trade-offs & Negative impacts Unknown Emphasis of existing social inequalities or injustices No information reported related to negative social justice-related impacts of the NBS project Measures to prevent gentrification or displacement Unknown High-quality & Transformative NBS Multiple impacts delivery (climate, biodiversity, just community) Yes Goal setting and impacts delivery No, although benefits were delivered in all the 3 key areas, but in the planning phase, the project did not aim to address issues in all the 3 key priority areas. Reaching original project goals Some of the project goals were achieved Long-term perspective Yes Cost-effective solutions Unknown Equitable impacts C. Unknown Transformative capacity Ecological change (e.g. ecosystem functions and their distribution) Magnitude of change Reformist: by focusing on addressing underlying drivers of change but failing to address the problem structurally or systemically Application of lessons learned Unknown Perception of Environmental Change Unknown 6. Sources References 1. Eurocities (2023). Cagliari canal a wellspring for community. Accessed on September 26, 2024, [Source link] [Archive]; 2. Città Metropolitana di Cagliari (2023). Il Canale navigabile della Città Metropolitana di Cagliari. Accessed on September 26, 2024, [Source link] [Archive]; 3. Città Metropolitana di Cagliari (2023). The navigable canal of the Metropolitan City of Cagliari. Accessed on September 26, 2024, [Source link] [Archive]; 4. URBANCENTER (n.d.). Il Canale Navigabile della Città di Cagliari, pensiamolo insieme!. Accessed on September 26, 2024, [Source link] [Archive]; 5. CONSORZIO PARCO REGIONALE NATURALE MOLENTARGIUS SALINE (2006). il paesaggio delle vie d’acqua a cagliari. Accessed on September 26, 2024, [Source link] [Archive]; Comments and notes Comments in the map, the app adds shade but I selected the linear option in policy drivers i am not sure if it's related to a national or regional plan. I included the quotes from the sources Public Images Image map of the canal https://partecipa.cittametropolitanacagliari.it/processes/Propostecanalenavigabile/f/10/ Image park next to the canal https://eurocities.eu/stories/cagliari-canal-a-wellspring-for-community/ Image photo taken during a workshop https://eurocities.eu/stories/cagliari-canal-a-wellspring-for-community/
Image map of the canal https://partecipa.cittametropolitanacagliari.it/processes/Propostecanalenavigabile/f/10/
Image park next to the canal https://eurocities.eu/stories/cagliari-canal-a-wellspring-for-community/
Image photo taken during a workshop https://eurocities.eu/stories/cagliari-canal-a-wellspring-for-community/
