Vol. 16 No. 30 (2023): Measuring the green efficiency in the settlements structure 2

The role of green is part of the disciplinary paradigm of green and blue infrastructures, to whose construction contribute the solutions based on nature, aimed at maintaining and strengthening the ecosystem services provided by the soil. Green materials in urban areas are used according to four configurations: punctual (isolated trees or shrubs), linear (hedges, rows, etc.), massive (groups of trees), area (turf, green roofs, etc.), not only depending on the function to which they respond, but also commensurate with the available space, the height and distance from the facing structures, the posture and the foliage,  in order not to cause damage to the urban surroundings, creating an obstacle to the passage or unwanted shading.

The design aim is to try to measure (by means of physical, geometric as well as vegetation indicators) the performance of urban green (permeability, hedge lawns, shrubs, low - medium - tall trees) with respect to a series of functions (shading, permeability, O2 oxygen production, absorption of carbon dioxide CO2 and pollutants, acoustic insulation, creation of urban habitats and urban ecological micro-corridors to promote biodiversity, windbreak effect, division of spaces, visual isolation, etc.). 

The approach is seen from the point of view of the urban planning, without neglecting the contributions of figures from other important disciplines (ecologists, botanists, biologists, foresters, etc.). A model of this type would allow to analyse and compare, through the construction of different scenarios, different projects, identifying the best design solutions in terms of efficiency in the use of green materials, based on the ability of soil covers to provide specified ecosystem services.