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Dr. Israa mahmoud
Politecnico di Milano

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Research Keywords & Expertise

0 Citizen Engagement
0 Co-creation
0 Placemaking
0 Nature-based Solutions
0 Urban design and regeneration

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Short Biography

Israa H. Mahmoud is an Architect and Urban planner by education. She holds a Ph.D. in Urban regenerations. Since 2018, she is a post-Doc research fellow at the Urban Simulation Lab Fausto Curti, Department of Architecture and Urban Studies (DAStU), at Politecnico di Milano. Now she is the research team leader together with Prof. Eugenio Morello on CLEVER Cities Project – Funded by the European Commission – Horizon 2020 Funded Project – GA#776604 as an expert of Co-creation guidance for cities to implement Nature-based solutions in socially inclusive urban regeneration processes. She lectures about Nature-based solutions in Master of Science in Urban Planning and Policy Design, as well as Master of Sustainable architecture and Landscape design also at Politecnico di Milano. Lately, she co-leaded the Scientific and Organizational committees of Greening Cities, Shaping Cities international symposium at Politecnico di Milano, October 2020.

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Conference
MIlan, Italy
Date: 12-13 October 2020
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Israa mahmoud
Journal article
Published: 27 August 2021 in Sustainability
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Nature-based solutions (NBS) are currently being deployed in many European Commission Horizon 2020 projects in reaction to the increasing number of environmental threats, such as climate change, unsustainable urbanization, degradation and loss of natural capital and ecosystem services. In this research, we consider the application of NBS as a catalyst for social inclusivity in urban regeneration strategies, enabled through civic participation in the co-creation of green interventions with respect to social cohesion and wellbeing. This article is focused on a social monitoring framework elaborated within the H2020 CLEVER Cities project, with the city of Milan as a case study. Firstly, we overviewed the major regeneration challenges and expected co-benefits of the project, which are mainly human health and wellbeing, social cohesion and environmental justice, as well as citizen perception about safety and security related to the NBS implementation process. Secondly, we examined the relevance of using NBS in addressing social co-benefits by analyzing data from questionnaires against a set of five major indicators, submitted to citizens and participants of activities during pre-greening interventions: (1) Place, use of space and relationship with nature, (2) Perceived ownership and sense of belonging, (3) Psychosocial issues, social interactions and social cohesion, (4) Citizen perception about safety and security, and lastly, we analyzed (5) knowledge about CLEVER interventions and NBS benefits in relation to socio-demographics of the questionnaires’ respondents. Thirdly, we cross-referenced a wind-rose multi-model of co-benefits analysis for NBS across the regeneration challenges of the project. Because of the COVID-19 emergency, in this research we mainly focused on site observations and online questionnaires, as well as on monitoring pre-greening scenarios in three Urban Living Labs (ULLs) in Milan, namely CLEVER Action Labs. Lastly, this study emphasizes the expected social added values of NBS impact over long-term urban regeneration projects. Insights from the pre-greening surveys results accentuate the importance of the NBS interventions in citizens’ perceptions about their wellbeing, general health and strong sense of neighborhood belonging. A wider interest towards civic participation in co-management and getting informed about NBS interventions in the Milanese context is also noted.

ACS Style

Israa H. Mahmoud; Eugenio Morello; Chiara Vona; Maria Benciolini; Iliriana Sejdullahu; Marina Trentin; Karmele Herranz Pascual. Setting the Social Monitoring Framework for Nature-Based Solutions Impact: Methodological Approach and Pre-Greening Measurements in the Case Study from CLEVER Cities Milan. Sustainability 2021, 13, 9672 .

AMA Style

Israa H. Mahmoud, Eugenio Morello, Chiara Vona, Maria Benciolini, Iliriana Sejdullahu, Marina Trentin, Karmele Herranz Pascual. Setting the Social Monitoring Framework for Nature-Based Solutions Impact: Methodological Approach and Pre-Greening Measurements in the Case Study from CLEVER Cities Milan. Sustainability. 2021; 13 (17):9672.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Israa H. Mahmoud; Eugenio Morello; Chiara Vona; Maria Benciolini; Iliriana Sejdullahu; Marina Trentin; Karmele Herranz Pascual. 2021. "Setting the Social Monitoring Framework for Nature-Based Solutions Impact: Methodological Approach and Pre-Greening Measurements in the Case Study from CLEVER Cities Milan." Sustainability 13, no. 17: 9672.

Original research article
Published: 02 June 2021 in Frontiers in Sustainable Cities
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Nature-based solutions' (NBS) relevance for tackling environmental challenges has been on the frontiers of urban regeneration mechanisms since the beginning of the 2010s. There is an increasing interest in applying NBS in urban planning and design to build support and engagement for sustainable urban development. However, NBS's operational use as deliberate design interventions is not widely reflected in the scientific discourse, more evidence is needed on how functional and viable aspects of urban nature can be conceptualized in urban design. This calls to explore the ways urban design can advance their understanding as part of place-specific, designed urban spaces. Through an ex-post analysis, the authors examined the design and implementation process of an exemplary NBS project, the Biblioteca degli Alberi park in Milan, part of one of the largest, recent urban regeneration projects in Europe. In a synthetic analysis, design drivers, enablers, and deficiencies are discussed, which affect the park's performance both from human-centered and nature-based perspectives. The park's case demonstrates design actions and considerations affecting all stages of the life-cycle of an NBS, from the creative design phase to the development, use, and management phases, and how urban design can create conditions for amplifying the multifunctional potential of urban ecosystems. The results highlight the importance of integrating an urban ecology perspective in the entirety of the design process when implementing NBS, consequently for a successful re-scoping of urban design and planning practices to infuse human-centeredness with “nature-basedness.”

ACS Style

Judit Boros; Israa Mahmoud. Urban Design and the Role of Placemaking in Mainstreaming Nature-Based Solutions. Learning From the Biblioteca Degli Alberi Case Study in Milan. Frontiers in Sustainable Cities 2021, 3, 1 .

AMA Style

Judit Boros, Israa Mahmoud. Urban Design and the Role of Placemaking in Mainstreaming Nature-Based Solutions. Learning From the Biblioteca Degli Alberi Case Study in Milan. Frontiers in Sustainable Cities. 2021; 3 ():1.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Judit Boros; Israa Mahmoud. 2021. "Urban Design and the Role of Placemaking in Mainstreaming Nature-Based Solutions. Learning From the Biblioteca Degli Alberi Case Study in Milan." Frontiers in Sustainable Cities 3, no. : 1.

Conference paper
Published: 11 May 2021 in Lecture Notes in Civil Engineering
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Climate Change (CC) is having a progressively negative impact on natural resources management. It, indeed, worsens existing environmental challenges, placing socio-ecological systems in a situation of new risks. This process invites to reflect about the Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) approach, which combines concepts of sustainable land use and conservation in one integrated adaptation strategy. Challenges related to definition and integration of the EbA process into urban context exist, in particular concerning the necessity of a systemic methodology deployment in urban planning instruments and adaptation processes. As a possible entry point, this work aims to identify the adaptation planning support tools for building an EbA process at city scale, defining a possible methodology for tracing a shortlist of tools supporting EbA principles. The outcomes have demonstrated that tools, albeit not having exhaustive capacities, provide important directions for theoretical investigation and consequent actions. There is a need for tools explicitly addressed to the EbA approach, not still homogeneously supported in the various stages of the adaptation framework. Hence, they offer useful insights to establish a comprehensive adaptation process able to integrate EbA in urban planning practices. To date, this represents one of the triggering points for the implementation of an operational Nature-based Solution (NbS) framework.

ACS Style

Anna Giulia Castaldo; Israa Mahmoud; Eugenio Morello. Ecosystem-Based Adaptation Approach and Adaptation Planning Support Tools: Potential Implementation for the Urban Context. Lecture Notes in Civil Engineering 2021, 23 -32.

AMA Style

Anna Giulia Castaldo, Israa Mahmoud, Eugenio Morello. Ecosystem-Based Adaptation Approach and Adaptation Planning Support Tools: Potential Implementation for the Urban Context. Lecture Notes in Civil Engineering. 2021; ():23-32.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Anna Giulia Castaldo; Israa Mahmoud; Eugenio Morello. 2021. "Ecosystem-Based Adaptation Approach and Adaptation Planning Support Tools: Potential Implementation for the Urban Context." Lecture Notes in Civil Engineering , no. : 23-32.

Conference paper
Published: 10 February 2021 in Smart and Sustainable Planning for Cities and Regions
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Nature-based solutions (NBS) implementation in urban contexts has proven outcoming multiple benefits to reverse the current trend of natural resources’ degradation adversely affecting biodiversity, human health, and wellbeing. Yet, the current urban-planning policy frameworks present a rigid structure to integrate NBS definitions, and their co-benefits to get mainstreamed and up scaled on a wider urban spatial dimension. In this research, we test a complete co-creation pathway that encourages decision-makers to embed citizen engagement methodologies as an approach to co-design and co-implement NBS in shared-governance processes aiming to increment the greening of urban spaces, towards more inclusive and climate resilient cities. On one hand, we assess a tendency to involve a multiplicity of stakeholders that collaborate to the establishment of an Urban Innovation Partnership (UIP) aiming at increasing the social awareness around NBS themes, and at the same time tackling both financial and governance aspects. On the other hand, the innovation embedded in NBS paves the way to combine a multi-scalar flexibility in implementation tools and place-based urban actions, hence resulting in widespread economic, environmental, and social impacts in place. The novelty in embedding the co-creation process in urban-planning practice lies in catalyzing resources towards the transposition of research into practice through policy and planning tools for local authorities and decision-makers. Three front-runner cities (Hamburg, London, and Milan) are under investigation as part of Clever Cities—a Horizon 2020 project—aiming at implementing NBS in diverse urban-regeneration processes, through nine up-running Urban Living Labs (ULLs). Grounded on a comparative analysis of these three cities, key characterization for NBS implementation framework could be categorized into: (1) current urban-planning greening strategies in each context, (2) specific environmental and societal challenges addressed, (3) different typologies and scales of NBS integration within urban morphologies, (4) specific governance process as response to co-design and co-implementation processes, and (5) availability of financial investment and main stakeholders. As research results, we emphasize using co-creation approach in urban planning to embed and upscale NBS in an inclusive shared-governance process, hence contributing to social awareness and acceptance. Meanwhile, spatial, and financial challenges could be majorly resolved using a multi-scalar approach to manage newly embedded urban-greening policies at the urban level. Lastly, the implementation scale of NBS with local communities requires a radical paradigmatic shift in societal, individual and administrative urban-planning practices.

ACS Style

Israa Mahmoud; Eugenio Morello. Co-creation Pathway for Urban Nature-Based Solutions: Testing a Shared-Governance Approach in Three Cities and Nine Action Labs. Smart and Sustainable Planning for Cities and Regions 2021, 259 -276.

AMA Style

Israa Mahmoud, Eugenio Morello. Co-creation Pathway for Urban Nature-Based Solutions: Testing a Shared-Governance Approach in Three Cities and Nine Action Labs. Smart and Sustainable Planning for Cities and Regions. 2021; ():259-276.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Israa Mahmoud; Eugenio Morello. 2021. "Co-creation Pathway for Urban Nature-Based Solutions: Testing a Shared-Governance Approach in Three Cities and Nine Action Labs." Smart and Sustainable Planning for Cities and Regions , no. : 259-276.

Conference paper
Published: 20 May 2018 in Blockchain Technology and Innovations in Business Processes
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The case study presented in this paper is a manifestation for an urban regeneration project that transformed a Highway into a Greenway. The first part aims to understand the contextual background of the highway regeneration Project, and it analyses the key factors of the long-debated land use and how the public authorities mandated the development of open public places as a policy. The second part, entails the rebirth of the Public Space as part of the Rose Kennedy Greenway where the role goes beyond the semantics from just a park towards being considered the front porch of the city oldest Neighborhood, the Northend. The last part analyses in depth the cultural programming of the Public Place and its character as a livable destination in the heart of the Downtown district. The methodological approach uses a public Life Matrix of evaluation to identify users’ behavioral patterns through intercept surveys, frequency of social activities through intensive three months long physical observation analysis, and lastly in-depth interviews with local Stakeholders, related Governmental bodies and Boston development and planning authorities. The findings highlighted a tendency that community involvement in the planning and placemaking process helped inform the Public Policy about the needs of surrounding neighborhood residents; as well as, emphasize the Public Private Partnerships in successful urban regeneration projects such as the case of the Northend Park.

ACS Style

Israa Mahmoud; Bruce Appleyard; Carmelina Bevilacqua. From ‘Highway into Greenway’: How Public Spaces Change Zoning Regulations. Blockchain Technology and Innovations in Business Processes 2018, 200 -210.

AMA Style

Israa Mahmoud, Bruce Appleyard, Carmelina Bevilacqua. From ‘Highway into Greenway’: How Public Spaces Change Zoning Regulations. Blockchain Technology and Innovations in Business Processes. 2018; ():200-210.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Israa Mahmoud; Bruce Appleyard; Carmelina Bevilacqua. 2018. "From ‘Highway into Greenway’: How Public Spaces Change Zoning Regulations." Blockchain Technology and Innovations in Business Processes , no. : 200-210.

Conference paper
Published: 20 May 2018 in Blockchain Technology and Innovations in Business Processes
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This paper investigates the role of public spaces in spurring innovation and promoting entrepreneurial activities in Downtown San Diego urban context as a distinguished “cultural district”. The idea that in creative cities, flourishing human capital, when coupled with incremental quality of life, could be the driving vehicle to social innovation and economic prosperity. On that public spaces are a cross cutting phenomenon in a lifetime cycle, through which their success could be evaluated contextually based on their formation and implementation policies, and how they work-out to be social innovation catalysts. Hence, this paper studies contextually the Downtown San Diego Partnership (DSDP) and their role to activate and regenerate different public spaces in downtown area to foster economic development. Two successful exemplar cases are studied; to better understand the dynamics by which the cultural programming in urban parks through events occurrence in Downtown as vibrant cultural hub; as well as the focus on a co-working and incubator space as a successful case to explain the human capital attraction to the Downtown area. The conclusions draw on an evaluation matrix of analysis that investigates the Catchment area/Sphere of influence falling in San Diego Downtown area, and helps to reach the envisioned opportunities and the policy measures applied to foster social innovation in those public spaces, and evaluate the success or failure of the Downtown San Diego Partnership to boost the innovation ecosystem.

ACS Style

Israa Mahmoud; Carmelina Bevilacqua. Make Public Spaces Great Again Using Social Innovation Reflections from the Context of Downtown San Diego as a Cultural District. Blockchain Technology and Innovations in Business Processes 2018, 406 -415.

AMA Style

Israa Mahmoud, Carmelina Bevilacqua. Make Public Spaces Great Again Using Social Innovation Reflections from the Context of Downtown San Diego as a Cultural District. Blockchain Technology and Innovations in Business Processes. 2018; ():406-415.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Israa Mahmoud; Carmelina Bevilacqua. 2018. "Make Public Spaces Great Again Using Social Innovation Reflections from the Context of Downtown San Diego as a Cultural District." Blockchain Technology and Innovations in Business Processes , no. : 406-415.

Journal article
Published: 01 January 2013 in Spaces and Flows: An International Journal of Urban and ExtraUrban Studies
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ACS Style

Israa Hanafi; Moustafa El Araby; Khalid Al Hagla; Samer El Sayary. Human Social Behavior in Public Urban Spaces: Towards Higher Quality Cities. Spaces and Flows: An International Journal of Urban and ExtraUrban Studies 2013, 3, 23 -35.

AMA Style

Israa Hanafi, Moustafa El Araby, Khalid Al Hagla, Samer El Sayary. Human Social Behavior in Public Urban Spaces: Towards Higher Quality Cities. Spaces and Flows: An International Journal of Urban and ExtraUrban Studies. 2013; 3 (2):23-35.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Israa Hanafi; Moustafa El Araby; Khalid Al Hagla; Samer El Sayary. 2013. "Human Social Behavior in Public Urban Spaces: Towards Higher Quality Cities." Spaces and Flows: An International Journal of Urban and ExtraUrban Studies 3, no. 2: 23-35.