"The Prato Urban Jungle project of the Municipality of Prato renewed most critical neighbourhoods of the city of Prato from a social, productive and environmental point of view, in a sustainable and inclusive way by developing areas with a high density of green - the so-called urban jungles - which were grafted onto the urban landscape by multiplying the natural ability of plants to break down pollutants and return the land to the use of people, transforming the marginal areas into real points of green well-being within the city. The urban jungles were co-designed with the help of citizens, through shared urban planning facilitated by the use of digital platforms, which encouraged the community management, increasing inclusion and promoting widespread sustainable development of the urban environment ".

Arch. Valerio Barberis, Councilor for the Environment and Urban Planning of the Municipality of Prato

Cities and urban communities face challenges related to poor air quality, the effects of heat islands, flood risks, social exclusion, and degraded urban environments, which lead to a myriad health impacts, quality of life, well-being and safety of citizens of European cities, particularly among the citizens at risk of social exclusion. At the beginning of 2018, the Municipality of Prato adopted a new strategy for the urban forestry, aimed to limit land consumption by encouraging strategies for the recovery and reuse of existing areas and buildings. 

As part of this strategy, the Prato Urban Jungle (PUJ) project aims to renovate the neighbourhoods of Prato in a sustainable and socially inclusive way by developing urban jungles, i.e. redesigned areas with a high density of green, immersed in the urban structure, which multiply the  natural capacity of the plants to reduce pollutants, restore the use of soil and space in the community and transform marginal and decaying areas into active green vital hubs within the city.

Urban jungles go beyond common urban forestry approaches by proposing the creation of areas with a high density of green through an innovative co-design path that improves the resilience of the city and creates sustainable urban landscapes. The project provided a new strategic approach to urban planning which was able to support a more inclusive development of the urban green in cities, by involving stakeholders through a digital platform and innovative governance model.