How one of Europe’s most polluted cities became a blueprint for nature restoration
350 football pitches’ worth of degraded urban areas have been restored.
Milan, one of Europe's most polluted cities, is undergoing a green transformation as part of a project to plant three million new trees and shrubs over the next four years. This initiative, led by the Fondazione Forestami, aims to combat the city's smog problem and improve residents' wellbeing by increasing greenery on streets, rooftops, and facades.
The project has already planted nearly 640,000 trees and shrubs since its inception in 2019, earning the architect behind it, Stefano Boeri, a European Lung Foundation award for his contributions.
The project's success has earned Milan the status of a UN World Restoration Flagship, a recognition given to projects that restore nature in densely populated and polluted metropolitan areas. Milan is one of only five new flagships announced during the UN Biodiversity Conference in Yerevan, Armenia. According to the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), the title acknowledges Milan's efforts to plant roughly one tree for every resident and restore about 350 football pitches' worth of degraded urban areas.
The UN report highlights the importance of nature restoration, noting that 252 million hectares across 149 countries are being restored. However, the progress towards protecting at least 30 percent of Earth's degraded land and sea by the end of the decade, known as the '30x30' goal, is still lagging. Annual restoration finance must also quadruple to meet the targets, which include improving food and water security, climate resilience, and human health.
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