Urban afforestation is increasingly regarded as a key strategy for fostering biodiversity to restore and enhance the ecosystem services needed to counteract the effects of climate change in built-up areas. In Italy, several experimental afforestation projects have been launched as part of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP), focusing on cities or metropolitan areas such as Milan, Rome, Pistoia and Campobasso. These projects follow a multidisciplinary approach, integrating botanists, foresters, urban planners, landscape architects and remote sensing specialists. The goal is to address the challenging complexity of urban forest restoration through reforestation and afforestation actions. Key innovations include the integration of transdisciplinary methodologies (landscape analysis, landscape design, forest and plant ecology) with the application of advanced remote sensing technologies and participatory community engagement frameworks to address ecological and social challenges. Experimental plots have been set up across various urban areas, testing a range of planting schemes to maximise climate change resilience and ensure long-term ecological sustainability. Emphasis has been placed on selecting drought-tolerant and thermophilic species that are better adapted to widespread warming and local urban heat islands. ‘Biodiversity strips’ with perennial flowers for insects, shrubs with berries for birds and nests for wild bees and vertebrates have been set up to enhance biodiversity in new afforestation areas. Advanced monitoring tools, such as Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) and multi-sensor drones, have been employed alongside field observations to assess forest growth, species survival, structural complexity and biodiversity enhancement over time. Historical analyses of landscape patterns and ecological connectivity over the past 200 years, along with evaluations of afforestation projects from the last 70 years, have provided critical insights into the successes and challenges of previous interventions, serving as a guide for future efforts. By focusing on ecological connectivity, the integration of afforested areas into the urban matrix, and citizen engagement, the current project aims to align urban forestry efforts with sustainable development goals. This comprehensive project framework addresses environmental restoration and the social and aesthetic impacts on local communities, contributing to the overall resilience and well-being of urban and peri-urban ecosystems.

Inner Peripheries is a complex and often misinterpreted concept, as demonstrated by current scientific evidence. Such complexity derives from the intrinsic peripherality and marginality characteristics of the Inner Peripheries. Despite Inner Peripheries suffer from geographical and socio-economic disparities, their environmental, social and economic potentialities are not fully expressed, and thus can be further strengthened by both the EU Cohesion and Rural Development Policies. However, there is currently a lack of knowledge about the linkages between the Inner Peripheries and both Cohesion and Rural Development Policies, which could limit the effectiveness of planning strategies in these territories. Therefore, through a structured review, we explore the linkages between Inner Peripheries and peripherality and marginality concepts and related criticalities and opportunities. Moreover, we consider the relationships between Inner Peripheries and Cohesion Policy Thematic Objectives and Rural Development Policy Priorities. The main findings show that the Inner Peripheries concept needs to be further explored, especially concerning the environmental aspects. Accordingly, we suggest that great challenges and opportunities currently exist in these territories, and combined policies efforts need to be oriented to strengthen the future sustainable development in the Inner Peripheries.. Key words: Review, Rural Development Policy, Cohesion Policy, Inner Areas. Resumen: Inner Peripheries es un concepto complejo y a menudo mal interpretado, como lo demuestran las pruebas científicas actuales. Tal complejidad deriva de sus intrínsecas características de periferia y marginalidad. A pesar de que las Inner Peripheries sufren de disparidades geográficas y socioeconómicas, sus potencialidades ambientales, sociales y económicas no se expresan completamente y, por lo tanto, pueden ser reforzadas por las Políticas de Cohesión y Desarrollo Rural de la UE. Sin embargo, actualmente existe una falta de conocimiento sobre los vínculos entre las Periferia Interior y las Políticas de Cohesión y Desarrollo Rural, lo que podría limitar la efectividad de las estrategias de planificación en estos territorios. A través de una revisión estructurada, exploramos los vínculos entre las Inner Peripheries y los conceptos de periferia y marginalidad y las críticas y oportunidades relacionadas. Además, consideramos las relaciones entre las Inner Peripheries y los objetivos temáticos de la Política de Cohesión y las Prioridades de la Política de Desarrollo Rural. Los principales hallazgos muestran que el concepto de Inner Peripheries necesita ser explorado más a fondo, especialmente en relación con los aspectos ambientales. Sugerimos que actualmente existen grandes desafíos y oportunidades en estos territorios, y que los esfuerzos de políticas combinadas deben orientarse para fortalecer el desarrollo sostenible futuro en las Inner Peripheries. Palabras clave: Revisión; Política De Desarrollo Rural; Política De Cohesión; Áreas Internas.