Urban Roofs: Green Infrastructure for More Connected Alpine Cities

Urban roofs are often considered purely technical elements of buildings. In dense alpine cities, however, they represent an important opportunity: green roofs can support biodiversity, improve microclimatic conditions, and help reconnect fragmented ecosystems. Exploring this potential is the aim of GRACE – Green roofs for alpine ecological connectivity, a new cross-border Interreg Italy Austria research project coordinated by Eurac Research.

The project officially started on 07.04.2026 with a kick-off meeting hosted at Eurac Research, bringing together partners from Italy and Austria and marking the beginning of a two-year collaboration. As part of the programme, participants also visited Eurac Research’s newly implemented green roof, offering a concrete example of the types of nature‑based solutions that GRACE will investigate in urban contexts.

About the project GRACE

GRACE analyses the strategic role of green roofs in high-density urban contexts, with the aim of:

• promoting urban biodiversity,
• mitigating the effects of climate change, and
• strengthening ecological connectivity between urban and rural areas.

When strategically integrated into spatial planning, networks of green roofs can expand available habitats and act as ecological stepping stones for species such as butterflies, bats, and birds. To assess and enhance this potential, GRACE combines biodiversity monitoring, microclimatic analyses, and spatial modelling, developing concrete tools to support urban planning and decision-making.

A central aspect of the project is the active involvement of stakeholders, citizens, and schools, fostering knowledge exchange and raising awareness of how nature‑based solutions can help shape more resilient and livable cities.

With a strong start and a shared vision, GRACE is now officially underway, working towards more biodiverse, climate-resilient, and ecologically connected alpine cities.

Follow us to discover how cities can become greener — one roof at a time.