In Italy, urban greenery remains a poor relation of city policies. Italian capitals have an average of just 24 trees per 100 inhabitants (2024 figure). Too few for a country experiencing the effects of the climate crisis on the front lines. Only eight capitals exceed 50 trees per 100 residents, three reach over 100, while at the other extreme as many as 27 cities struggle to reach 20 (and more than half of this group does not reach ten). It is a picture that tells of two Italies: on the one hand, municipalities that have already embarked on the road to urban forestation, and on the other, a much broader front that is proceeding slowly.
Deficient plans, uneven implementation
This is reminded by Legambiente, which is celebrating the 30th anniversary of Tree Day between November 21 and 23 with more than 120 initiatives in 14 regions. The campaign is intertwined with Law 10/2013, the regulation governing the development of green space in cities. An important law, at least on paper, but one that continues to be applied patchily. Only 30 capitals claim to have a Green Plan, 26 an updated Regulation, while the Arboreal Balance – the tool that allows citizens to understand what really happens to the trees in their city – is published by just 44 administrations. The only obligation really met is the urban green census, carried out by 75 capitals.
Tree Day thus also becomes a test case. In Rome, Legambiente and Inwit anticipate the occasion with a day in the Monte Mario Reserve, part of the Inwit tower-based fire monitoring project. In Campania, Asprinio di Aversa is back in the spotlight thanks to the planting of 50 rootstocks in the Terra Felix Biodistrict, an area recovered after years of neglect and degradation. In Turin, the planting is linked to a moment of reflection on war, environment and peace.
Although the average number of trees is low, there is no shortage of examples of excellence. In Siena, there is the Parco del Buongoverno (Good Government Park) born out of a participatory regeneration project. In Seregno hundreds of trees along the SS36 have reduced smog and noise. In Verona, an educational garden with 170 native plants has brought biodiversity back to a densely built-up neighborhood.
Increasing the green endowment of cities is essential because trees are not street furniture, they are vital infrastructure. They reduce particulate matter, mitigate noise, stabilize soils, absorb rainwater and mitigate the heat island, even lowering the energy needs of buildings by up to 50 percent. In a country where heat waves are becoming more and more frequent and extreme events mostly affect cities, continuing to regard greenery as a frill is a luxury we can no longer afford.
Legambiente appeals: move from symbol to strategy. Planting trees is a valuable gesture, but without transparent plans, regulations and budgets it remains an isolated incident. But the goal – greener, healthier and more resilient cities – is within reach.
