From highways to greenways: The role of the Passante Verde di Mestre in environmental conservation and climate resilience

This chapter examines the Passante Verde di Mestre as a case of integration between highway infrastructure, environmental compensation, and climate-oriented landscape planning. Starting from the construction of the Passante di Mestre, a strategic motorway bypass in the Veneto Region, the chapter analyses how a large transport infrastructure can be accompanied by green infrastructure measures aimed at mitigating environmental impacts and supporting climate resilience. The Passante Verde is interpreted not merely as a compensatory planting scheme, but as a territorial project that seeks to reconnect fragmented rural and peri-urban landscapes through reforestation, ecological corridors, drainage systems, and landscape redevelopment. The chapter discusses its contribution to climate change mitigation and adaptation in terms of carbon sequestration, biodiversity enhancement, stormwater management, microclimatic regulation, and ecosystem service provision. At the same time, it critically reflects on the ambiguity between genuine environmental innovation and possible greenwashing, questioning the long-term effectiveness, governance, and maintenance of such interventions. The case highlights the potential of green infrastructure to transform linear mobility infrastructures into multifunctional landscape systems, while stressing the need for integrated planning, monitoring, and community involvement.