Genova Behind the Scenes: A Didactic Approach for Including Urban Nature in Placemaking-Heritage Driven Strategies

With the increased understanding of climate change related pressures facing cities today, the need to include nature-based solutions (NBS) in urban areas has become urgent. While aligning with EU biodiversity strategy 2030 (hereafter EUBDS2030), several 20K inhabitant cities have been striving to design and adopt urban greening or urban nature plans as part of their climate adaptation strategies. These approaches often include biophilic design and NBS as part of spatial strategies which can introduce many benefits of nature in dense built environments. However, such plans also bring challenges in terms of the economic, social and cultural aspects of cities. These challenges may be better addressed when participatory design mechanisms are introduced within the process to alleviate municipal responsibilities. This research paper focuses on exploring potential methods to support the adoption of the Genova Green Strategy, launched in 2022, as a guiding document for enhancing green and blue infrastructure of the city. Based on this goal, we unpack the possibility of using NBS in improving urban design strategies at the local level while activating placemaking strategies to enhance community engagement with heritage embedded in Genova’s historic fabric. Through an experimental didactic approach that intersects three main topics of placemaking, nature-based solutions and urban heritage, this study reflects on the outcomes of an urban design studio involving 50 students focused on the city of Genova in Italy. Through a three-phase process, students were introduced to the concepts of NBS and biodiversity planning within urban heritage contexts, then to placemaking approaches and their different implementation techniques. Lastly, students used stakeholder mapping and possible urban design scenarios to develop a better understanding of nature-driven planning in UNESCO World Heritage sites. This experimental approach addresses a key gap in current research by exploring the intersection of these three areas, and by demonstrating the potential for implementing NBS through placemaking strategies in heritage-rich urban contexts.