Safe local areas


Research into innovative solutions for communities at risk of landslides or floods

Due to its geographical position and morphological characteristics, Italy is particularly exposed to hydro-geological instability phenomena, such as landslides and floods.  

According to ISPRA data, 93.9% of Italian municipalities are at risk of landslides, floods or coastal erosion; 1.3 million people live in areas of landslide risk and 6.8 million in areas prone to floods. Fondazione Cariplo’s catchment area also shows critical issues related to both phenomena, with frequent landslides along the Alps and Apennines and floods in the lowlands.  

The consequences are significant both emotionally and economically, with damage to production activities, infrastructure and homes. Factors such as climate change, which intensify extreme weather events, unsustainable urbanisation, inadequate water management and fragile infrastructure further exacerbate the situation.  

In this scenario, the Safe Local Areas project came about, to support local research to prevent, monitor and manage hydro-geological risk, with the aim of increasing the safety and well-being of communities exposed to landslides and floods.
Thanks to the collaboration between the scientific community, local public bodies and organisations with specific expertise in the sector, innovative solutions for monitoring, accurate forecasting models and decision support systems will be devised, to guide strategic choices in risk management. 

The multi-year intervention is developing a participatory research system structured into two phases. In phase 1 (2024), a call for proposals was published, to select at least two projects focusing on landslide risk management and at least another two on flood risk, with the aim of supporting innovative solutions that can be transferred to other contexts.  Phase 2 will involve collaboration between fellow projects and pilots, to transfer and adapt the most successful strategies in local areas with similar issues, or to leverage the trials according to local specificities.  

The four pilot projects, funded in 2024, aim to develop and adopt innovative solutions to address the risk of landslides and floods at the trial sites. The initiatives kicked off in 2025 and will be implemented in the provinces of Brescia, Bergamo, Verbano-Cusio-Ossola, Milan and Lecco.  

Phase 2, focusing on the transfer of the most effective solutions to fellow projects, is scheduled for 2027. 

The four winning Phase 1 projects 


Floods

  • MOHYCAM Modified HYdrogeological hazards under complex ClimAte and environmental conditions: Monitoring activities and mitigation strategies
  • DROP: co-designed Decision support system and solutions for flood Resilience with and fOr People


Landslides

  • RESILIENT – Risk Evaluation and Smart Implementation of Landslide monItoring by citizen Engagement and New Technologies
  • TWINFALL- digital TWIN for rock FALL and flow in response to a climate change scenario