Final Forum of the UrbanLab BiodiverCity Project UNIVERSITY
On February 19, 2026 , the CONCLUDING FORUM of the cycle conceived and planned by the UrbanLab BiodiverCity Project was held in the Aula Magna 'L. Quaroni' of the Architecture and Design complex of the Università Mediterranea. The project is the product of the activities of the Third University Mission of the Integrated Laboratory for the Strait of Messina Area for the development of the territory of the Department of Architecture and Design and the Precision Mechanization Laboratory for agriculture and agri-food of the Department of Agriculture of the Università Mediterranea di Reggio Calabria, in collaboration with the 'Planning - Special Laws' Sector of the Metropolitan City of Reggio Calabria. The UrbanLab BiodiverCity Laboratory, among the actions envisaged by the Integrated Plan 'Aspromonte in Città', was admitted to funding under the M5C2 – Investment 2.2 – Integrated Plans line of the PNRR.
Following the three Forums dedicated to the Grecanica Area, the Locride Area, the Piana Area, and the Strait Area in 2024 exactly one year ago, conceived as an opportunity to exchange and share ideas, listen to the local community, and disseminate a new culture of greenery and issues related to the ecological transition, the Final Forum was dedicated to the presentation of the project's outcomes, collected in the volume published by FrancoAngeli, Atlas of ecosystem services of urban greenery. BiodiverCity for the Metropolitan City of Reggio Calabria and on the dedicated web portal https://biodivercity.unirc.it
The Final Forum was opened by Rector Giuseppe Zimbalatti and Director General Pietro Foti of the Mediterranean University, Director of the Department of Architecture and Design Consuelo Nava and Director of the Department of Agriculture Marco Poiana, Councilor for the Environment of the Metropolitan City of Reggio Calabria Salvatore Fuda, Director of the 'Planning - Special Laws' Sector of the Metropolitan City of Reggio Calabria Domenica Catalfamo, and Project Manager Giandomenico Gangemi.
The Project's Scientific Director, Professor Concetta Fallanca, then presented the methods for achieving the objectives promised at the outset and the project's outcomes, further explored in the scheduled presentations by the research group composed of Professors Antonio Taccone, Bruno Bernardi, Giuseppe Bombino, Fabio Lombardi, Pasquale A. Marziliano, and Rocco Zappia. In particular, several reflections developed during the research process, which later became key themes in the final volume, were shared with the formal and informal stakeholders present. These included the design of the urban ecological network, the planning and management of metropolitan green spaces, the relationship between hydraulic safety and ecological redevelopment, the identification of forest species useful for green space planning, and the criteria for using tree species in urban settings.
The working group included: the fifth-grade B and fifth-grade H classes from the Vinci High School in Reggio Calabria, accompanied by Professors Giorgio Sottilotta and Anna Maria Musolino; Beatrice Barillaro, WWF of the Province of Reggio Calabria; Marisa Cagliostro, Municipal Council for Social Policies; Alberto Gioffrè, President of the UNESCO Club and Kronos; Maria Teresa Malta, former director of the Regional Council of Calabria; Alfonso Picone Chiodo, CAI Reggio Calabria; Patrizia De Stefano, Coordinator of the Masterplan Planning Office, Urban Planning and Spatial Planning Department of the Municipality of Reggio Calabria; Pasquale Costantino, External Resources Department - Intermediate Bodies of the Municipality of Reggio Calabria; Francesco Saccà, Slow Food.