"Edible" urban forests as part of inclusive, sustainable cities

Feeding an increasingly urban population and ensuring the economic and social well-being of urban dwellers will be the primary challenge for cities in coming decades. The impacts of climate change are expected to slow down urban economic growth, exacerbate environmental degradation, increase poverty and erode urban food security. Many cities are on a quest for more sustainable urbanization pathways that will enable effective responses to the increasing socio-economic and environmental challenges they face. In the search to \u201cmake cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable\u201d (Sustainable Development Goal 11 in the United Nations Sustainable Development Agenda 2030), interest is increasing in growing local food. Edible green infrastructure, mainly in the form of urban food forests and trees (referred to here generally as urban food forests and also sometimes as tree-based edible landscaping), can help address a range of problems caused by rapid and unplanned urbanization, such as food scarcity, poverty, the deterioration of human health and well-being, air pollution, and biodiversity loss. The use of edible plants in urban and peri-urban forestry varies among cities and is influenced by historical, cultural and socio-economic factors. Overall, it has tended to be neglected in modern cities. This article explores the potential of urban and peri-urban forests as sources of food and the role that urban food forests can play in fostering sustainable cities

How does the amount and composition of PM deposited on **Platanus acerifolia** leaves change across different cities in Europe?

Particulate matter (PM) deposited on Platanus acerifolia tree leaves has been sampled in the urban areas of 28 European cities, over 20 countries, with the aim of testing leaf deposited particles as indicator of atmospheric PM concentration and composition. Leaves have been collected close to streets characterized by heavy traffic and within urban parks. Leaf surface density, dimensions, and elemental composition of leaf deposited particles have been compared with leaf magnetic content, and discussed in connection with air quality data. The PM quantity and size were mainly dependent on the regional background concentration of particles, while the percentage of iron-based particles emerged as a clear marker of traffic-related pollution in most of the sites. This indicates that Platanus acerifolia is highly suitable to be used in atmospheric PM monitoring studies and that morphological and elemental characteristics of leaf deposited particles, joined with the leaf magnetic content, may successfully allow urban PM source apportionment