Revitalising urban industrial districts with Nature-based Solutions in Turin, Italy

Key Learnings

About the Region

Climate Threats

Mirafiori Sud District in Turin faces pressing climate threats, including recurring flood events, rising temperatures, and poor air quality. Impermeable surfaces, degraded and polluted soils and a lack of green infrastructure reduce the district’s ability to manage heavy rainfall, increasing the risk of localised flooding. At the same time, the lack of green spaces and many unused, abandoned housing areas causes temperatures to rise, making heatwaves more intense and reducing residents’ comfort during the hot summer months. Air pollution, driven by high private vehicle use and emissions from a nearby waste incinerator, further compounds the impact of extreme heat, particularly on vulnerable populations.

Local Situation – the challenges at Mirafiori Sud

Reacting to the challenges at Mirafiori Sud District

Between June 2018 and November 2023, the ProGIreg project implemented a range of Nature-based Solutions in Mirafiori Sud District, transforming local environmental and social challenges into opportunities. These interventions aimed to improve public health, enhance biodiversity, and reduce social segregation through sustainable urban regeneration.

The project was led by the City of Turin in collaboration with local universities (Università degli Studi di Torino, Politecnico di Torino), citizen associations and NGOs active in the district (such as MIRAFIORI and ORTIALTI), as well as industry partners (DUAL and ENVIPARK). European funding supported the initiative with approximately €800,000, fostering citizen participation and co-creation as key drivers of change at Mirafiori Sud District.  

1. Directly implementing Nature-based Solutions:

• Refurbishing derelict buildings with green roofs and walls at derelict buildings and transforming brownfields into community gardens.
• Creating new green corridors/ parks to improve residents’ accessibility to green spaces and enhance recreational opportunities.
• Applying special rejuvenated soils to re-inject life into depleted and infertile soils.
• Improving biodiversity with pollinator-friendly gardens.         

2. Improving social life and citizen awareness for green solutions:

• Applying collective farming practices for urban regeneration in green spaces and social life. For example, by involving educational institutions and residents in experimenting with horticultural environmental restoration practices.
• Transforming brownfields into community gardens. On the one hand, this action revitalises unused spaces, and on the other, it supports social interactions and a sense of community belonging.

3. Securing long-term value and maintenance:

• Design, manage and maintain green infrastructure together with local businesses, associations and citizens.
• Enable shared management to build a sense of community amongst residents and joint responsibilities.Enable shared management to build a sense of community amongst residents and joint responsibilities.
• Creating a strategic public-private partnership for greening the city.

The complexity of some Nature-based Solutions required industry partners’ expertise and the involvement of several local stakeholders. To effectively plan and manage the interaction with all relevant stakeholders, ensuring successful implementation, the local project management team established subordinate management boards. Each board designated several relevant project partners to coordinate the activities of each implementation site.

The core team, led by the City of Turin as overall coordinator, facilitated a collaborative planning process with local partners. The team invited relevant stakeholders for each site concept to discuss their needs and concerns. Before implementing the Nature-based Solutions, the City of Turin and the two universities conducted a stakeholder mapping and spatial analysis to identify the area’s strengths and weaknesses. Citizen associations and NGOs of the Mirafiori Sud District, such as the MIRAFIORI NGO, designed and coordinated community engagement activities to ensure meaningful participation.

Measure Effects

Figure 1: Creation of accessible green corridors. Image Credit: ProGIreg.

After the project team agreed upon the organisational setup, they implemented the Nature-based Solutions in collaboration with diverse local stakeholders. Overall, they realised 17 interventions.

Since addressing social fragmentation was a key goal, each intervention emphasised co-creation, awareness-raising, and fostering local engagement. The new green corridors improve resident access to public green spaces, supporting physical and mental health through increased exposure to nature and opportunities for outdoor activity. At “Piedmont Park” located in Mirafiori Sud District, an ecosystem path showcases agricultural, horticultural and beekeeping activities, promoting environmental education and local engagement.

The project team created nine pollinator-friendly gardens (Figure 2) designed to engage schools and socially disadvantaged groups to promote and raise awareness about biodiversity. Researchers from the University of Turin supported the initiative by involving individuals with mental health challenges in educational activities. Those addressed social isolation and stigma while encouraging the participants to become scientific ambassadors and actively contribute to the project

Figure 2: Orti Generaili in Cascina Piemonte. Image Credit: ProGIreg.

Another project action included realising so-called Aquaponics – testing the combination of raising fish (aquaculture) together with soilless cultivation of plants (hydroponics) – whereby the fish wastewater provides the nutrients needed to feed the plants. In response to the poor soil quality in parts of Mirafiori Sud District, this closed-loop system, developed in collaboration with local NGOs, enables healthy food production without relying on contaminated soils. Beyond food production, aquaponics also supports the creation of local green jobs, as the system requires regular monitoring and maintenance.

To raise awareness of sustainable farming, the project team collaborated with local primary schools to create educational materials and implement several Nature-based Solutions at the schools, improving environmental quality. These include a 20 m² indoor green wall in a school atrium and an 80 m² outdoor green wall on a homeless shelter, which enhanced aesthetics and insulation. Additionally, a 140 m² green roof on an abandoned building in Mirafiori Sud, planted with native meadow seeds, supports biodiversity and regulates temperatures. These interventions help reduce air pollution, lower temperatures, and improve public spaces.

One of the project’s main interventions was establishing the 12,000 m² community garden at the “Cascina Piemonte” area, where the project team created 160 allotment gardens and planted 330 trees. They transformed 30% of the area into a shared green space. The concept encourages citizens  to contribute to maintaining the common spaces. The University of Turin supported the project by advising on suitable tree and shrub species and was responsible for environmental monitoring, experimentation, and the dissemination of new soil concepts. These community gardens support awareness-raising about nature and urban wellbeing. They also have strong potential for improving social interaction (social cohesion) and urban health. As welcoming, shared green spaces, they have become natural gathering points where residents can connect, collaborate, and build a stronger sense of community.

The inauguration of the new vegetable gardens at Piedmont Park represents an important step for the City of Turin as it invests in green spaces for improved quality of life. Orti Generali sees itself as a virtuous land regeneration project and demonstrates how horticulture and participatory urban agriculture can positively impact biodiversity and local community participation.

Councillor for green areas of the City of Turin, Francesco Tresso (translated from Italian, cited by Citta di Torino 2025)

Maintenance of the implemented Nature-based Solutions

The project team handles the maintenance of each Nature-based Solution in Mirafiori Sud District on a case-by-case basis. To ensure long-term maintenance beyond the project’s duration, the management team has formed partnerships with local stakeholders, such as NGOs, schools, community groups, and public-private collaborators. In cooperation with the City of Turin, the team introduced sponsorship programs to foster strategic public-private partnerships and secure sustainable funding for preserving and improving green spaces in Mirafiori Sud and the wider city.

Summary

Further Information

Contact