Cities Facing Climate Change

This research concerns the complex analysis of ecosystem relations in territorial areas and is aimed at identifying and developing sustainability indicators with the attempt to promote actions aimed at safeguarding and enhancing the natural, cultural and identity heritage of the territory. The ultimate goal is to build scenarios and predictive models for monitoring the impact of transformations. The inspiring principle is centered on the growing awareness that natural ecosystems must be main-tained in dynamic balance to guarantee viable future growth through the provision of goods and services based on the logic of ecosystem services. The research work has as its objective the improvement of the quality of life and includes aspects relating to the environmental, social and cultural well-being of citizens linked to a better use of the categories of ecosystem services (life support, supply, regulation of cultural values). In particular, from an infra-and intra-generational ecological perspective, a strengthening of identity values is expected, of the usability of the natural and cultural heritage of smaller urban centers and internal areas, of the quality of green and blue infrastructures aimed at sustainable use of territorial and environmental resources. The expected results are measured on the basis of key stability indicators by the European Commission to monitor the diffusion of innovation at a regional level.