The impact of allergens emitted by urban green spaces on health is one of the main disservices of ecosystems. The objective of this work is to establish the potential allergenic value of some tree species in urban environments, so that the allergenicity of green spaces can be estimated through application of the Index of Urban Green Zones Allergenicity (I_UGZA). Multiple types of green spaces in Mediterranean cities were selected for the estimation of I_UGZ. The results show that some of the ornamental species native to the Mediterranean are among the main causative agents of allergy in the population; in particular, Oleaceae, Cupressaceae, Fagaceae, and Platanus hispanica. Variables of the strongest impact on I_UGZA were the bioclimatic characteristics of the territory and design aspects, such as the density of trees and the number of species. We concluded that the methodology to assess the allergenicity associated with urban trees and urban areas presented in this work opens new perspectives in the design and planning of urban green spaces, pointing out the need to consider the potential allergenicity of a species when selecting plant material to be used in cities. Only then can urban green areas be inclusive spaces, in terms of public health.

A sound coordination between spatial planning instruments at different administrative levels (from regional to local/municipal) is crucial to guarantee the efficient implementation of ecological networks as territorially open systems of relationships between biological and landscape components at several scales, each with a various mix of ecosystem services provided (from biodiversity conservation to climate adaptation). How—and at which administrative level(s)—is ecological network adopted within territorial and urban planning instruments? What is the relationship between the various levels and the transcalarity among them? How can the local level contribute to plan nature-positive cities and eventually inform ecologically-sound policies at higher levels in a bottom-up vertical process? These are some of the questions this contribution intends to address, starting from the results of two recent works carried out by ISPRA: the survey on the state of implementation of ecological networks at the regional level in spatial and landscape planning instruments, and the in-depth analysis of Urban greening plans of 10 Italian municipalities looking at the role of green and blue infrastructures and nature-based solutions within local mandatory planning instruments. Such a crossed analysis is an opportunity to—among others—verify if and how, at the different administrative levels, the indications of the higher levels are translated into the binding and voluntary instruments of the subordinate administrative levels. Main results and findings will be described and the implications for future works discussed.