Ferrara

Air quality

AIR BREAK- Co-producing healthy clean commuting air spots in town

“The challenge for protecting the environment and improving the quality of the air we breathe will be crucial for the next years.  It is a battle that concerns the health and quality of life of millions of European citizens and, for this reason, mayors and administrators have to accept this challenge.  With the "Air Break" project, Ferrara intends to embark on an ambitious task alongside its citizens. Because there is no result that can be achieved without participation, enthusiasm and cooperation between administrators and citizens involved”.

Alessandro Balboni – Councillor for Environmental Policies, European Projects, animal protection of the Municipality of Ferrara
The project in numbers
14
Network of IoTsensors for monitoring air qualityand on-demand samplers of ambient air and odors for later chemical/olfactometric analyses
500
citizens involved in the monitoring phase
10%
reduction of air pollutants in relation with commuting analysis
240 000
Kg/yr absorbed air pollutans by newplanted species
3000
number of citizens involved
20%
reduction of PM10 deposited (type of atmospheric particles)
3,999,989.44
Total ERDF budget granted
Challenge addressed

According to the last “Air quality in Europe” report by the European Environment Agency, currently air pollution is the most important environmental risk to human health, responsible for about 412.000 premature deaths. In early 2019, the Po River Valley in northern Italy, including the Emilia Romagna (ER) region, was one of the most air-polluted areas in the World with high levels of CO and among the highest concentrations of NO2, up to 200 µmol/m2, similar to the biggest global metropoles. The city of Ferrara, located in the ER region, is among the worst affected, with serious health and environmental problems. In the period 2012-2016, Ferrara was the fifth worst area in Italy in terms of cancer mortality (103th out of 107 provinces) and the first for acute myocardial infarction (107th out of 107). Despite having a beautiful and well-organized historical city centre (UNESCO-World Cultural Heritage since 1995), the whole city is characterized by:

  1. a fragmented urbanisation, distributed on a large flat area > 405 Km2, including 30 small towns in the surroundings;
  2. lack of an adequate mobility infrastructure, hindering the connections between the centre and the surrounding areas,
  3. low bike lanes per surface ratio, i.e. 450 m of bike lanes/km2, compared to similar cities in ER (e.g.Reggio Emilia has >1000m /Km2), and a disconnected bike lanes network, further complicating the commuting,
  4. a high motorization rate - 622 cars/1.000 inhabitants (higher than national averages), iv) the presence of a big industrial settlement (employing > 1700 staff + 700 external workers) in the North-WestDistrict, subject to substantial commuting flows.

AIRBREAK promises to tackle air quality issues in Ferrara, such as commuting issues, lack of urban greenery, lack of detailed and updated information about air quality, with an evidence/data based strategy and citizen-centric approach, integrating a set of innovative and tailor-based solutions. Through a holistic, bottom-up approach, AIRBREAK will involve citizens and stakeholders at the centre of the new development, going beyond air quality data collection and monitoring approach and implementing, for the first time in Ferrara, concrete actions aimed at transforming “dark-high-emission zones” in “green-augmented-healthy zones”.

Solution proposed

The general objective of the project is to contribute to the implementation of European, National and local policies on air quality and sustainability, through a set of innovative measures to reduce the air pollution in the cityof Ferrara, improving the quality of life of Ferrara citizens. To achieve its main goal, the project will aim at achieving the following Specific Objectives:

  1. Increase knowledge on air pollution distribution, and ensure more effective monitoring and decision capabilities of the public administration and citizens in Ferrara by a multi-source data collection and the installation of a newnetwork of IoTsensors.
  2. Reduce the impact of air pollution in the Ferrara areas, by applying a set of mitigation strategies which includes nature-base solutions and alternatives sustainable transport systems.
  3. Reduce emissions related to vehicle mobility, by incentivizing use of alternative and sustainable soft and smart mobility solutions with a clean commuting approach
  4. Increase the green areas in critical spots of the town including rain/bus station, the citycenter, along the cycling network and congested roads and other relevant aggregation points.
  5. Raise awareness of citizens and city users about the environmental-health issues in relation with air pollution and increasing their active participation involving them in a co-design and co-creation process;
  6. Induce a behavioural change among citizens and cityusers bygamification methods and rewarding mechanisms.
  7. Ensure sustainability and ownership of all proposed solutions after the project’s end, by carefully selecting the most cost-effective ones, integrating them in the MOF’s plans, and developing a robust alliance between citizens and the local administration
  8. Promote AIR BREAK integrated model as example for replication in Italy and European cities, by demonstrating the innovative solutions and communicating the project results to a wide set of target groups.

The project lays its innovation on the integration of complementary solutions:

  • providing in-depth knowledge about air pollution distribution in Ferrara by developing a reliable sensors network and a newData Infrastructure for a rapid data access, allowing local administration to plan specific interventions
  • providing innovative models to incentivize clean commuting and soft mobility, thus lowering the emissions
  • introducing Nature Based (NB) and Smart Solutions to drastically reduce air pollutants in critical spots of the town
  • engaging citizens and stakeholders in a co-creation approach based on innovative gamification and rewarding mechanisms.
Partnership
  • Municipality of Ferrara;
  • 2 universities: University of Ferrara; Polytechnic of Milan;
  • 1 public agency: S.I.PRO. Ferrara Development Agency;
  • 2 private organisations: HERA S.p.A; Dedagroup Public Services;
  • 1 SME: Lab Service Analytica srl;
  • 1 research institution: Bruno Kessler Foundation
Expected results

By the synergy of the above solutions AIRBREAK intends to reduce by 25% air pollution in selected areas of the city, laying the base for future scale-up and replication strategies. During the last 5 years Ferrara set-up a process aiming to become a smart and sustainable city. The successful implementation of the AIRBREAK project will bring Ferrara a major step forward towards this objective, contributing as other cities in the Emilia Romagna region, to reduce the air pollution in this highly critical area. To demonstrate at the end of the project the following main results will be achieved:

  • An established monitoring system based on available data (from ARPAE) and new data from an implemented network of sensors (including from citizens);
  • Improved air qualitylevels in selected critical areas of the cities - Increased number of people preferring soft mobility ;
  • Reduced emissions byreducing car traffic and congested areas - Improved commuting in strategic areas of the city;
  • Improved perception ofwell-being among citizens especiallyin the newgreen areas and along the smart-cycle paths;
  • Increased participation of citizens in the social life and urban planning decisions (Living labs, associations);
  • Improved strategic decision power of MOFbased on the data acquired during the projectwith the integration/modification of the current urban plans with more sustainable solutions.

During the last 5 years Ferrara set-up a process aiming to become a smart and sustainable city. The successful implementation of the AIRBREAK project will bring Ferrara a major step forward towards this objective, contributing as other cities in the Emilia Romagna region, to reduce the air pollution in this highlycritical area.

To demonstrate at the end of the project the following main results will be achieved:

  • An established monitoring system based on available data and new data from an implemented network of sensors (including from citizens)
  • Improved air quality levels in selected critical areas of the cities
  • Increased number of people preferring soft mobility
  • Reduced emissions by reducing car traffic and congested areas
  • Improved commuting in strategic areas of the city
  • Improved perception of well-being among citizens especially in the newgreen areas and along the smart-cycle paths
  • Increased participation of citizens in the social life and urban planning decisions (Living labs, associations)
  • Improved strategic decision power of the Municipality of Ferrara Fbased on the data acquired during the project with the integration/modification of the current urban plans with more sustainable solutions
Main milestones
  • February 2021: Installation of air quality data sensors
  • June 2022: Installation of a newfully equipped smart-cycle path and of 4 smart hubs
  • June 2023: Plantation of new high-absorbing tree species

 

The project in numbers
14
Network of IoTsensors for monitoring air qualityand on-demand samplers of ambient air and odors for later chemical/olfactometric analyses
500
citizens involved in the monitoring phase
10%
reduction of air pollutants in relation with commuting analysis
240 000
Kg/yr absorbed air pollutans by newplanted species
3000
number of citizens involved
20%
reduction of PM10 deposited (type of atmospheric particles)
3,999,989.44
Total ERDF budget granted
Contact of the project
Alessandra Piganti
Responsible of International relations- European Projects Office
Pietro Verga
UIA Expert

Project news & events

citizen science

Citizen Science – A double-edged blade. Perspectives from the debate emerged in Ferrara

Citizen science, a method that brings non-experts into the fold of scientific research and data collection, has emerged as a powerful tool in addressi...
deputy mayor Balboni at a workshop

The Added Value of Air-Break to the City of Ferrara

In this podcast series I will be discussing the concrete experience, challenges and learnings of the Urban Innovative Actions project Air-Break Ferrar...
oldschool videogame style image

Advancing Urban Mobility: Challenges, Progress, and Policy Implications of Air-Break Motivational Campaigns – Zoom-In 2

In this Zoom-In, UIA Expert Pietro L. Verga navigates through the transformative impact of FBK's Air-Break Sustainable Mobility Motivational Camp...
maps from general urban plan

Insights Unveiled: Air-Break Ferrara's Data-Driven Policymaking

Air-Break's comprehensive dataset transforms Ferrara's urban planning, providing real-time air quality and mobility insights....
picture depicting a group of people ready to start for a cycling tour of the city

AIR BREAK Journal Nr. 3

With the project approaching its end in December 2023, this Journal Nr. 3 reflects on a number of core lessons learnt during the implementation of Air...
stakeholders engaged in conversation

The Air Fest: an Open Platform for Engaging Citizens and Stakeholders around Air Quality in Ferrara

In this podcast series I will be discussing the concrete experience, challenges and learnings of the Urban Innovative Actions project Air-Break Ferrar...
airbreak aq meter

Data-Driven Cities: Air-Break Ferrara's Real-Time Air Quality Insights for Informed Citizens and Policymakers

In the pursuit of creating smarter and more sustainable urban environments, the Air-Break Ferrara project has embarked on a mission to revolutionize t...
datathon participants

Air-Break Datathon: a gathering of creativity and analytical exploration

How to actively engage youth, researchers, and experts in exploring innovative solutions to contemporary environmental challenges? ...
smart hub central station

Introducing Air-Break Ferrara's Smart Hubs

UIA Expert Pietro L. Verga interviews Gabriele Mengozzi (HERA Group) on the main features of the Smart Hubs developed in Ferrara to support and facili...
commuters in Ferrara

Analysing Commuting Patterns in Ferrara towards Better-Informed Policy Decisions

In order to better understand the commuting practices, habits, and trends of Ferrara’s citizens and city-users, and ultimately to inform policy decisi...
photo of user ending bike trip with app

Playing Together Towards Sustainable Mobility. The Air-Break Gamification Experience

Through a set of playful activities and gamified rewarding campaigns, the Air-Break project sets to bring about positive change in citizens’ mobility ...
cyclists on bike lane

The construction of Ferrara’s new Smart Bike Lane. Adapting to new conditions and challenges

The Smart Bike Lane is part of the infrastructural upgrades plan through which the Air-Break project is facilitating slow mobility within the city of ...
Cover Photo – credit: PLAM creative Studio

AIR BREAK Journal Nr. 2

This second Journal focuses on the achievements of- and challenges for all the core realms of the Air-Break project until October 2022....
air-break new forest cover photo

An Urban Forest is Growing in Ferrara

Since March 2022, a new urban forest is growing in Ferrara, thanks to the plantation of nearly two-thousands trees and shrubs in five selected areas o...
Ferraria phygital space

AIR BREAK Participatory Air-Quality Monitoring – Zoom-In 1

This Zoom-In describes in detail the participatory air-quality monitoring system designed and implemented by the AIR BREAK Ferrara project....
air-break network cover photo

AIR BREAK Journal Nr. 1

The Air-Break project seeks to reduce by 25% air-pollution in selected strategic areas of the City of Ferrara. The city lays in one of the most air-po...
Ferrara castle with cyclist

An Alliance for Air in Ferrara

The air we breathe can contain a variety of pollutants released into the atmosphere as a mixture of solid particles, liquid droplets, and gases from a...

Related projects

DIAMS project Marseille
Aix-Marseille Provence metropole
DIAMS - Digital Alliance for Marseille Sustainability
Topic:
Air quality
Population:
1 800 000
ERDF:
EUR 3,775,181.60
Duration:
01/11/2018-31/10/2021
Breda project
Breda
AirQon - Air Quality through EV Battery Connectivity
Topic:
Air quality
Population:
184.025
ERDF:
EUR 2,544,876.12
Duration:
01/11/2018 - 31/10/2022
Mont des Arts
Brussels Capital Region
CAIRGO BIKE - Clean AIR GO cargo BIKE
Topic:
Air quality
Population:
1,208,542
ERDF:
4,688,677.44
Duration:
01/07/2020-30/06/2023
Helsinki project
Helsinki
HOPE - Healthy Outdoor Premises for Everyone
Topic:
Air quality
Population:
643,272
ERDF:
EUR 4,561,260.28
Duration:
01/11/2018 - 31/10/2021
OSTRAVA project
Ostrava
CLAIRO - CLear AIR and Climate Adaptation in Ostrava and other cities
Topic:
Air quality
Population:
299,622
ERDF:
EUR 2,073,503.96
Duration:
01/11/2018 - 30/04/2022
Portici project
Portici
AIR-HERITAGE - Improving the environmental quality of the City of Portici: Monitoring, Modelling, and Mitigating Air Pollution through participated and efficient Policies
Topic:
Air quality
Population:
55,012
ERDF:
EUR 3,274,475.68
Duration:
01/11/2018 - 30/04/2022
Innovative demand responsive green public transportation for cleaner air in urban environment
Sofia
INNOAIR - Innovative demand responsive green public transportation for cleaner air in urban environment
Topic:
Air quality
Population:
1 328 120
ERDF:
€ 3,712,553.52
Duration:
01/07/2020-30/06/2023