More often, urban planners, architects and ecologists agree on one point: for a city to be truly liveable, it cannot be designed just for people, but must also be able to foster cohabitation between humans, nature and biodiversity.

This idea gave birth to Cohabscapes (Co-Habitative Landscapes), a framework developed within the European project Horizon 2020 ECOLOPES and then further analysed in a doctoral research at the University of Genoa. 

Copernicus, the EU’s Earth observation programme, has selected the project as a case study for its innovative approach to the urban planning. 

The goal of Cohabscapes is to transform geodata, European open data and geospatial information into tools capable of supporting urban planning. The system incorporates data about urban morphology, the presence of vegetation, infrastructure, land use, population density and many other indicators. This allows for the creation of maps that help pinpoint where interventions can be carried out to support urban biodiversity and to improve the quality of life.

One of the most innovative aspects of the framework is the ability to, on the one hand, consider people and other species’ needs and, on the other, simulate the effects of urban transformations even begore they take place. This allows designers and the public administrations to take more mindful decisions. 

The approach developed by Cohabscapes offers a new vision of the city: not just a space exclusively designed for humankind, but rather an ecosystem where people and other species share resources, habitat and ecosystemic services. A perspective that contributes to make urban spaces more resilient, more sustainable and better equipped to face the challenges posed by climate change.

Learn more about it on the University’s magazine: UniGe.Life