Palermo 3-30-300

The presence of nature in cities improves health and livability.

According to the European Environment Agency, contact with urban greenery — parks, gardens, green spaces for rest and physical activity — reduces stress, improves physical and mental well-being and mitigates urban temperatures by reducing the heat island effect.

But not everyone in Europe has the same access to green spaces.

In this context, where does the city of Palermo stand?

What kind of access do Palermo residents have to urban green spaces?

Are there differences between neighborhoods that translate into social inequalities and missed health benefits?

Palermo 3-30-300 is a small independent research project created to spread awareness about urban green space availability, address by address, based on an international rule that helps us design more livable, cool and sustainable cities.

Enter your address
and find out if you have access to urban green spaces

By entering your address we can calculate the nearest green spaces and the situation in your neighborhood.
Your data is used exclusively for analysis and is not stored.

Distance:

Walking time:

Size:

🌳 The 3+30+300 rule for greener cities

This principle, developed by Cecil Konijnendijk, explains the importance of bringing nature into neighborhoods, streets and right in front of our homes, to reap its numerous benefits. It provides clear guiding criteria for the minimum provision of trees in our urban communities, establishing the following three minimum requirements:

3 mature trees visible from every home
30% tree canopy coverage in every neighborhood
300 meters maximum distance from the nearest public green space for everyone

This study inverts the order, starting from the 300-meter criterion: the metersc that best measures equity in public green access for every citizen.

🎯 The accessibility standard

Everyone should have access to a high-quality, publicly accessible green space, no more than 300 meters away on foot or by bicycle, for recreational activities and promoting healthier lifestyles.

💚 Why it matters

Proximity to green spaces improves physical health by encouraging daily movement and promotes mental well-being by reducing stress and anxiety. Green spaces are also places for community gathering and socializing and help mitigate urban heat islands.

⏱️ What 300 meters means

About 4 minutes walking
An accessible daily walk
Distance walkable even by children and elderly

Sources: Nature-Based Solutions Institute, The Threes Rule, Yggdrasil

Download the 3-30-300 Handbook

🔍 Analisi in corso...

📊 La regola 3-30-300 per città vivibili

According to recent scientific studies, a green and livable city should guarantee:

3 trees visible from every home
30% tree canopy coverage in every neighborhood
300 meters di distanza massima da spazi verdi pubblici (standard WHO)

This tool verifies the third rule: are you within 300 meters of a green space?

📊 Data on green space access in Palermo

This data shows how much of Palermo's population lives within 300 meters of a public green space.

--%

Popolazione coperta

Green spaces mappati

km² of public green

Green spaces and accessibility in Palermo

The World Health Organization recommends that every citizen have access to a public green space (≥5,000 m²) within 300 meters of their home. Exemplary cities like Ljubljana achieve 100% population coverage.

For this analysis, two distinct datasets were used: OpenStreetMap e Copernicus Urban Atlas. The results are similar and you can compare them using the toggle below. The calculation of residents with green space access is based on the area-weighted interpolation method applied to census sections ISTAT 2021, which allows for precise estimation of how many citizens live within 300 meters of a public green space.

Palermo

118

Green spaces

635.439

Total residents

With both datasets, the analysis shows that more than half of Palermo's residents (over 300,000 people) live too far from public green spaces.

Your neighborhood

Green spaces

Total residents

Enter an address in the previous section to see your neighborhood's statistics.

Urban Green Categorization - OpenStreetMap

Coverage by neighborhood - OpenStreetMap

Your neighborhood, -, has a tree canopy coverage of -, - than the recommended level.

Your neighborhood now

Current coverage: -

Missing coverage: -

Ideal coverage: 30%

Tap or hover to see how it should be.

Trees to plant

Current coverage: -

Deficit to fill: -

The estimate is based on mature trees with an average canopy of 35 m².

🌳 The 30% rule

It establishes that at least 30% of the urban surface should be covered by tree canopies (tree canopy) to guarantee optimal environmental and public health benefits. A European Commission study on 93 European cities demonstrated that reaching this standard would reduce the average temperature by 0.4°C, with peaks up to 5.9°C in some areas.

🍃 What does tree canopy mean??

The tree canopy is the upper layer formed by tree crowns — the collection of branches, leaves and foliage that project vertically to the ground. It is measured through satellite imagery and represents the area actually shaded by tree vegetation. This coverage works as a natural air conditioner: a single mature tree can produce the cooling effect of ten residential air conditioners running 20 hours a day.

💚 Why it matters?

Cities with adequate tree canopy coverage register temperatures up to 8°C lower compared to areas without trees, drastically reducing the "heat island" effect. Trees filter atmospheric pollutants like PM2.5 and PM10, improving the air quality we breathe daily. 30% tree canopy coverage could prevent 6,700 premature deaths every summer in European cities.

On the economic front, homes surrounded by trees sell for 5% to 15% more than those without vegetation, reaching up to 25% if the entire street is tree-lined. Trees reduce energy costs by 20-50% for summer cooling and 10-15% for winter heating. Finally, by absorbing large amounts of rainwater, they prevent flooding and reduce the load on urban drainage infrastructure.

Sources: Canopy, Citygreen, European Commission

Tree Canopy Coverage in Palermo

From the tree canopy coverage perspective, Palermo falls well below the recommended 30% standard. Exemplary cities like Oslo (Norway, 45%), Turin (Italy, 34%), and Vienna (Austria, 50%) reach and widely exceed this threshold, ensuring their citizens the environmental and health benefits of adequate tree canopy coverage.

The data on tree canopy coverage comes from the Copernicus Tree Cover Density 2023 and were cross-referenced with census sections ISTAT 2021 to calculate the average coverage per neighborhood. The estimate of trees needed is based on mature trees with an average canopy of 35 m².

Palermo

Trees to plant

Neighborhoods with
insufficient coveragee

Il tuo quartiere

Trees to plant

Position among
neighborhoods

Tree Canopy Coverage by neighborhood

🌳 How many trees do you see??

Count how many trees you can see from your home window and discover if you meet this principle. In this case, lacking reliable data, it is necessary to rely on a survey among participants.

View from your window

Visible trees:

🌳 The rule of 3

It establishes that everyone should be able to see at least three adult trees from their home, workplace and school. This principle stems from scientific evidence that simply being able to see greenery from your window produces significant benefits for psychological well-being, even without direct physical access to nature.

🧠 Mental health benefits

A 2024 study demonstrated that people who can see at least three trees from their windows report significantly higher levels of connection with nature and mental well-being compared to those who do not have this possibility. The view of trees reduces stress and anxiety, improves mood and promotes psychophysical recovery.

Patients with a view of trees from hospital windows heal faster, require less medication and have fewer complications compared to those with a view of buildings.

📚 Concentration benefits

A series of studies conducted in the United States demonstrated that students in schools with greater tree canopy coverage achieve better academic results, especially when trees are visible from classroom and cafeteria windows. The view of greenery promotes concentration and reduces mental fatigue through what is called attention restoration, the natural recovery of attention capacity.

💼 Workplace benefits

People who can see nature while working take fewer sick days (-23%, about 11 hours per year) and report greater job satisfaction. Even breaks of just 3-4 minutes near trees produce measurable reductions in stress levels.

Sources: Zhang et al. (2024), El País, Matsuoka (2010), Kweon et al. (2014), Wu et al. (2018)

Palermo
3-30-300

Enter your address
and find out if you have access to urban green spaces

🌳 The 3+30+300 rule for greener cities

🎯 The accessibility standard

💚 Why it matters

⏱️ What 300 meters means

📊 La regola 3-30-300 per città vivibili

📊 Data on green space access in Palermo

Green spaces and accessibility in Palermo

Palermo

Your neighborhood

Urban Green Categorization - OpenStreetMap

Coverage by neighborhood - OpenStreetMap

Your neighborhood now

Trees to plant

🌳 The 30% rule

🍃 What does tree canopy mean??

💚 Why it matters?

Tree Canopy Coverage in Palermo

Palermo

Il tuo quartiere

Tree Canopy Coverage by neighborhood

🌳 How many trees do you see??

View from your window

Palermo residents and the view of greenery

🌳 The rule of 3

🧠 Mental health benefits

📚 Concentration benefits

💼 Workplace benefits

Learn more

Explore the methodology

View maps and data

Share the project

Share the project

Palermo3-30-300

Enter your addressand find out if you have access to urban green spaces

🌳 The 3+30+300 rule for greener cities

🎯 The accessibility standard

💚 Why it matters

⏱️ What 300 meters means

📊 La regola 3-30-300 per città vivibili

📊 Data on green space access in Palermo

Green spaces and accessibility in Palermo

Palermo

Your neighborhood

Urban Green Categorization - OpenStreetMap

Coverage by neighborhood - OpenStreetMap

Your neighborhood now

Trees to plant

🌳 The 30% rule

🍃 What does tree canopy mean??

💚 Why it matters?

Tree Canopy Coverage in Palermo

Palermo

Il tuo quartiere

Tree Canopy Coverage by neighborhood

🌳 How many trees do you see??

View from your window

Palermo residents and the view of greenery

🌳 The rule of 3

🧠 Mental health benefits

📚 Concentration benefits

💼 Workplace benefits

Learn more

Explore the methodology

View maps and data

Share the project

Share the project

Share your results

Palermo
3-30-300

Enter your address
and find out if you have access to urban green spaces