Soil de-sealing for cities' adaptation to climate change. Planning of priority interventions in urban public space

It is well known that extreme heat waves or weather events combined with the increased soil consumption and sealing processes are significantly affecting urban systems especially the most exposed and vulnerable. These urban challenges call for specific mitigation and adaptation actions; soil de-sealing (i.e., the removal of the impermeable surfaces for increasing green areas and restoring soil ecosystem functions) may be one of the possible solutions. However, this urban practice, to have meaningful outcomes, would need widespread and systematic application in urban areas that can be pursued only if supported by innovative programming and planning tools based on the construction of in-depth knowledge frameworks on the permeability and vulnerability of urban soils. In this regard, the paper aims to outline a methodological approach, supported by GIS technology, to map in detail urban public soils and identify priority areas to be de-paved. In particular, the method assesses the permeability of public land in relation to hydraulic and heat island hazard exposure of potentially vulnerable urban systems. The methodological approach is applied to a pilot case in the city of Parma to test its potential and limitations, with the goal of creating a replicable procedure.