Bologna: ecoBudget as a tool for cycle

management

Bologna: ecoBudget as a tool for cycle

management

Anna Patullo - City Councillor for Environment Giovanni Fini - Head Environmental Quality Unit

Raffaella Gueze - Project OfficierCity of Bologna

Municipality of Bologna

Environmental Quality Unit

Fifth European Conference on Sustainable Cities & Towns

Two questions

• Our cities are very active concerning sustainability issues. Are we fully aware of the results of our efforts? Shall we met our objectives?

• While we plan long term objectives are we able to guarantee our citizens the achievement of short term goals to ensure the best quality of life and environment today?

About Bologna

Capital of the Crucial railway and motorway junction Emilia-Romagna Region

Population: Strong presence of small and medium 373.592 inhabitants industry (Emilian model)

Land area: Biggest middle ages city center in Europe 140,846 Km2 (restricted traffic zone)

A new planning cycle

Bologna has a significant tradition of policies for promoting its sustainability. In 1993 the City participated in the Urban CO2 Reduction Project promoted by ICLEI. The aim had been to formulate an agenda for local energy saving activities.Bologna confirmed its commitment to sustainability by signing the Aalborg Charter in June 1996 and starting local Agenda 21 process. In 1996 Bologna was one of thirteen recipients of a Certificate of Distinction under the ”European Sustainable City Award” scheme.

Aalborg commitments were subscribed in 2006 starting a new phase of planning processes which led the city to think systematically about its future in terms of sustainability.

Main aim of this new phase is to strengthen the effectiveness of actions for a better environmental quality within long term actions foreseen by sector plans.

ecoBUDGET as a tool for sustainability management

The “environmental budget” adopting the same principles as a financial budget, provides a set of indicators and relative short term targets for the planning, monitoring and reporting of the consumption of natural resources within the municipal territory, as a result of sustainability-oriented policy

ecoBUDGET is an environmental management tool designed specifically for local authorities and first implemented by ICLEI in 1987.

The Master Budget defines critical and priority resources, indicators, targets and actions plan to reach the target

The Budget Balance shows the achievements of the targets

ecoBUDGET as a tool for sustainability management

The adoption of the ecoBUDGET method in Bologna started in September 2001, thanks to the European ecoBUDGET project, funded by the European Commission’s LIFE programme

In 2004, the LIFE project closed the first ecoBudget cycle.

The positive result of this experience led the municipality to adopt ecoBudget as a stable environmental budgeting system for the city

ecoBUDGET as a tool for sustainability management

Ist ECOBUDGET CYCLE

L.I.T. APRIL 2002

MASTER BUDGET FEBRUARY

2003

BUDGET BALANCE MAY 2004

December 2004 Ecobudget Asia started

IInd ECOBUDGET CYCLE

MASTER BUDGET JULY 2006

BUDGET BALANCE APRIL 2007

MASTER BUDGET ‘07 APRIL 2007

ecoBUDGET as a tool for sustainability management

ecoBUDGET as a tool for sustainability management

“Nowadays, there are two contradictory ways to view development. The first of these considers monetary profit as being the only criterion to measure success. The second links development to the impassable limits of workers’ dignity, of mankind’s health and of the conservation of natural resources.

I believe that ecoBUDGET is instrumental for cities that strive to pursue the second form of development.”

Sergio Cofferati, Lord Mayor of Bologna

Some examples

Air quality

PM10 concentration (ug/m3)base year (2000) 642001 532004 40

Benzene concentration (ug/m3)base year (2000) 9,72001 10,32004 7,0

Main actions

• city centre not accessible to private cars

• promotion of substitution of old vehicles / promotion of natural gas vehicles

• severe traffic limitations in some days period

• improvement of public transport efficiency

• new public transport infrastructures

• new bike lanes and pedestrian areas

• ...

Climate protection

Electricity produced from renewable sources (MWh)base year (1997) 71.9872001 81.9902004 120.674

Inhabitants served by district heatingbase year (1997) 10.8952001 29.9612004 32.205

Main actions

• Biogas production from sewage water

• New photovoltaic installations

• Development of district heated areas

• ...

Noise

Noise levels - San Felice (db(A))

base year (1996) 67,5

2001 66,8

2004 67,3

Main actions

• actions for private mobility reduction

• street floor maintenance

• renovation of public fleets (included public transport)

• ...

Green areas and urban development

Public green areas (m2)

base year (1996) 6.467.586

2001 7.458.352

2004 7.486.952

Main actions

• New green areas within new districts

• development of new green areas in existing city

• ...

1996 1999 2002 2004

Soil and sub-soil

Contaminated soils being cleaned

62 areas

400.000 m2

Management of quarry excavation cycle

Protection of natural and re-natuarlised areas

...

Environmental education

Classes (pupils) involved

2004 164 (2876)

2005 260 (5200)

Main actions

• Scuolambiente project

•Il cielo in un aula (the sky in a classroom) event

•Sere in serra (evenings in the greenhouse)

• ...

Conclusions

ecoBudget has proved to be a

suitable instrument for planning

and monitoring long term

targets but …

… it has proved to work for

actions and short term targets.

It is thus a suitable tool to

bring Aalborg Commitments

to the streets

Anna Patullo, Giovanni Fini, Raffaella Gueze

unamb@comune.bologna.it - tel +39 051 2193118

www.comune.bologna.it/iperbole/unamb