Cost-benefit of green infrastructures for water management: A sustainability assessment of full-scale constructed wetlands in Northern and Southern Italy

Sustainable water management has become an urgent challenge due to irregular availability patterns and quality issues. The effect of climate change exacerbates this phenomenon in water-scarce areas, such as the Mediterranean region, stimulating implementation solutions aiming mitigate or improve environmental, social, economic conditions. A novel solution inspired by nature, technology-oriented, explored past years, is constructed wetlands. Commonly applied for different types wastewater its low cost simple maintenance, they are considered a promising remove pollutants while creating improved ecosystem increasing biodiversity around them. This research aims assess sustainability two typologies wetlands Italian areas: Sicily, with vertical subsurface flow wetland, Emilia Romagna, surface wetland. assessment performed applying cost-benefit analysis combining primary secondary data sources. market non-market values both proposed scenarios establish feasibility options identify most convenient one. Results show that bring more benefits (benefits-cost ratio, BCR) than costs (BCR > 0). In case BCR lower (1) wetland scenario, absence it almost double. If other services included scenario reach 4 ROI 5, showing better performance from costing perspective shows high (10) (9), obtained negative present value indicating do not cover expected.