The European AWARD project was presented by Fabio Masi at the Circular Summit Fryslân 2025, one of the leading European events focused on regional circular economy initiatives, held in Leeuwarden, the Netherlands, from 10 to 12 June. The summit brought together institutions, businesses, researchers, and citizens to discuss collaborative strategies and concrete solutions for a sustainable circular transition.
The main pillars of the AWARD project were presented, with a specific focus on Demo Case 2, which concerns the Metropolitan City of Milan. The Metropolitan Sponge City of Milan project includes the implementation of 90 Sustainable Urban Drainage System (SuDS) interventions across 32 municipalities, funded through the PNRR (Next Generation EU) program.
These sustainable drainage systems enable the infiltration of urban runoff into the shallow aquifer. Once infiltrated, the water contributes to recharging the groundwater, which functions as a natural storage reservoir. This water is then extracted from shallow wells for irrigation purposes. This process defines the Alternative Water Resource (AWR) concept studied in Demo Case 2, which scheme is showed in Figure 1.
Figure 1 – Alternative Water Resource (AWR) scheme proposed for Demo Case 2 and Metropolitan City of Milan.
In particular, two SuDS, which are located in Solaro and Paderno Dugnano, are being monitored to assess both the quantity and quality of the infiltrated water, as well as the benefits in terms of amenity value and biodiversity. The insights gained from these two pilot sites will then be extrapolated to estimate the broader-scale benefits that a sponge city can offer.