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This paper shows some results of the research activities carried out in the spoke five of the National Biodiversity Future Center aimed at testing the effectiveness of urban regeneration projects, including the creation of Pocket Parks as adaptation strategies to climate change. The methodological approach adopted to validate the design of small scale resilient urban spaces implemented by the Municipality of Florence will be presented starting from the definition of state-of-the-art. Furthermore, it will analyse how the metaplanning model (based on the integration of NbS) and the predictive tools used in the experimentation can be used to develop future regulatory tools for planning and controlling the transformation of the built environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Defining procedural processes to support the involvement and empowerment of citizens, the main target of climate change, in order to integrate them into the holistic process of adaptation to extreme events is nowadays an extremely topical issue. Research is working towards the progressive standardisation of this process. The paper focuses on the outcomes of research on integrating the participatory approach into a methodology for climate proofing of the urban environment. The research results are include directions for increasing resilience through a cyclic step-by-step process for planning, prevention and management of the effects of disasters, centred on the involvement of different stakeholders, as well as the outcomes of the experimentation of such a process on three public housing (ERP) neighbourhoods in Rome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays, the effects of climate change and pandemics are emerging. This brings about the need for new models of interpretation and organisation of urban spaces to respond to the multiple impacts on human health and the built environment. Urban peripheries are among the most vulnerable areas due to physical and socio-economic degradation. This paper presents the results of the Federico II University research “PER_CENT/PERIFERIE AL CENTRO”. Through a multidisciplinary approach, the research developed some innovative proposals for living spaces in the northern suburbs of Naples in line with European technical policies with integrated approaches for knowledge management, measurability of response to impacts and formulation of predictive scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current and increasingly intensive technocratic drift recognises the indiscriminate power of techniques in solving several problems, including the struggle against climate change and its impact on cities. One of the future challenges concerns the effective and conscious application of KETs for the creation of smart environments in historical heritage, which plays a strategic role for its conservative values, but also in the broader strategy for limiting greenhouse gas emissions. The proposed paper reports some preliminary results of a research aimed at investigating and acknowledging these technologies as an enabling medium to undertake more informed deterministic choices in the field of CH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Responses to the current energy crisis and to action against climate change have produced a wide variety of experimentations. Positive Energy Districts (PEDs) and Energy Communities (EC) are spreading as aggregators of enabling technologies, but the knowledge and skills required to plan, implement and monitor them still need to be developed. Technology alone is not enough to facilitate knowledge sharing and the experimentation and co-creation of solutions. The paper focuses on methods and tools that allow to support the creation of "energy citizens" through considerations developed in project H2020 GRETA (Green Energy Transition Actions) and in COST Action 'PED-EU-NET'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global challenges, such as Climate Change and Sustainable Development, require the design of sustainable lifestyles, products, services, and cities that reduce carbon intensity by at least 50% before the year 2030 and 100% by the year 2050 to avoid long-term climate catastrophes. Short-term action is needed to accomplish long-term sustainability goals. We work on the 2030 deadline with every tool available to us: new course development combined with new pedagogy to effectively and efficiently deliver time-based design. We made our courses available online as open source resources within a global network of universities. In this paper, we describe a project called “Dexign Futures” initially developed at the School of Design at Carnegie Mellon University. This open source learning project is being locally adapted and evaluated with three global partners: at the School of Design, Politecnico di Milano, Italy; Tsinghua University in Beijing, China, and Georgia Tech University in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. In this paper, we describe the general project Dexign Futures and, specifically, the case study workshop conducted at the School of Design, Politecnico di Milano. We briefly describe the general Dexign Futures project and focus on the seminar conducted at the School of Design of the Polytechnic of Milan to show the possible variations to adapt the global model to specific and local contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The complex interaction between city and climate crisis is converting design-based disciplines from deterministic to flexible approaches. In this regard, Decision-Making Under Deep Uncertainty (DMDU) methods and operational strategies can be valuable support mechanisms to cope with the emerging climate fragilities of urban systems. In light of recent advances in the field of adaptive approaches, this paper discusses key concepts, current limitations and the potential to introduce the DMDU in the method and practices of regenerative design. Our critical discussion aims to restore the designer’s role within the DMDU and to reduce current and future climate fragilities in European cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The possible effects of climate change in urbanized areas - evidenced by several studies - led the City of Bologna to adopt a Climate Change Adaptation Plan to assess potential risks and vulnerabilities as a basis for adaptation actions prioritizing interventions through a coordinated local strategy. This paper summarizes some measures implemented at local level in collaboration with the Department of Architecture of the University of Bologna and, in particular, the pilot actions for urban greening developed within the European project H2020 - ROCK and the proposals for intervention included made during the "Design for Adaptation" project. Resilient Urban Communities" PhD Climate KIC summer school. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The issues of energy efficiency and climate change belong to a complex scenario to which contemporaneity is called upon to answer. Architecture can contribute by promoting practices that look at the environment with a view to building the future. As an architectural activity, restoration of heritage buildings can actively participate in this fundamental challenge within the perspective of a circular economy proposing a globally sustainable model. Starting from a state-of-the-art investigation, this paper aims to enucleate the BECK project’s contribution in this field, as well as to underline how careful strategies of conservation and contemporary use can have positive effects on sustainable future scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change is increasingly threatening anthropic systems, which are calibrated on climate parameters that have been mostly stable during the last millennium. Reducing its impact on urban centres is one of the most pressing global challenges of our time. This study develops the concept of soft-resilience, the ability of systems to absorb and recover from the impact of disruptive events without fundamental changes in their function or structural characteristics. Starting from this assumption, this paper explores the potential of the urban services field in a perspective of city adaptation to climate change, suggesting that measures based on ICTs applications and information exploitation represent one of the pillars of soft strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multidisciplinary skills and knowledges were common in historical constructions. The necessity to rethink the way we design and realize our built environment in response to the climate change is requiring the re-convergence of knowledge. The development of multidisciplinary practices and digital communication platforms are enabling the new transition. The design and fabrication of shell is one the field, where the cross-over of knowledge is most evident. Digital technologies are facilitating experimentations of complex shell geometries, a wise use of materials, and the development of new construction processes. This paper explores the transformation of shell designs, and the importance of multiple actors, through the analysis of a shell prototype developed for an international context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change is a consequence of our difficulty to manage the currently conflicts and contradictions. It is configured as a process that makes human life on Earth increasingly uninhabitable, making the relationship between the Earth's ecosystem and humanity increasingly difficult. A fundamental cause of the climate change is the way in which economic wealth is produced and distributed. The current economy produces also ecological and social poverty. The adaptive reuse of cultural assets is proposed in the general framework of the Green New Deal of European Union, assuming the circular economy model for re-integrating economy into ecology. The aim of the paper is to identify how to transform a died heritage site into a living system, to be managed as a complex adaptive system, discussing the ways in which adaptive reuse can be implemented as the entry point for implementing the circular city. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditionally, green design considers climate as a fixed property of a specific place. Nevertheless, recent changes demonstrate that this vision has to be reversed, considering climate a time-dependent parameter. This paper hybridises climatology and bioclimatic design underlining, thanks to the usage of a very recent high resolution climate reanalysis database (ERA5-Land), the impact that climate changes have on short-term periods, adopting well known building climate-related indicators. European maps are drawn considering degree-days variations (from 1981-95 to 2004-18), while typical mean 24-hour monthly days and bioclimatic charts are adopted for a limited number of locations. Results support the need to adopt climate data time variations during design phases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The link between the urban contexts' features and the Public Health outcomes, opens to a challenging scenario about the Urban Health issue. The research purpose is to describe a critical literature review, aimed to correlate the Public Health outcomes with the environmental risk factors, and for each of them, define Evidence-Based Design Strategies and Actions, capable to reduce those risk, improving the urban quality and attractiveness of places. Furthermore, the main focus of the paper is to underline the cities' ability to be resilient to the on-going climate change phenomena, and the definition of the urban context's features representing best practices i.e. of Nature- Based Solutions, to enhance the ecosystemic quality, and to reach healthiness, safety and security of the urban spaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper compares the traditional vs carbon-oriented forest management of two coniferous stands in the Alpine environment, quantifying the carbon sink, the carbon credit generated and the economic results. The results show the economic feasibility of the transition from current forest management strategies to a carbon-oriented method in the considered context. Carbon-oriented management provides relevant environmental benefits, combatting climate change, even though some elements of uncertainty still persist, particularly in relation to achieving a profitable management, specifically due to the volatile voluntary carbon credit market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper shows the results of the first phase of the research project "METROPOLIS - Methodologies and Technologies for integrated and sustainable adaptation and security of urban systems" developed by STRESS Scarl - High Technology District for Sustainable Building of the Campania Region. The project is aimed at the development of innovative strategies for a resilient urban system and design guidelines for appropriate choices of urban regeneration based on the assessment and mitigation of natural and man-made hazards. The paper describes the results concerning the definition of innovative methodologies for the knowledge and mapping of urban vulnerability to climate risks in the East Naples area. The cross-disciplinary and multi-scale approach integrates knowledge and technology from university and industrial partners to develop a decision support tool in the field of urban regeneration. The study of the impacts of extreme weather events, based on the simulation of climate change scenarios in the area of East Naples, includes the data management in a GIS environment from satellite remote sensing, direct surveys and simulation software, focusing on the environmental and technological performance of urban spaces and elements. The research results report risk scenarios for pluvial flood and heat waves hazards according to both climatic variables, both aggravating phenomena arising from the characteristics of urban settlements. The complex reading of the buildings-open spaces system and its response to climate change conditions has allowed to define the vulnerability of elements at risk, as well as adaptation and mitigation solutions to be implemented within urban regeneration interventions, identifying critical issues in relation to comfort and environmental risk conditions, consumption and efficient use of resources, compliance of the technological choices to specific requirements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effectively addressing the issue of climate resilience in urban areas requires the development of innovative design methods that can handle the complexity of the information needed to guide sustainable urban regeneration and retrofitting strategies, as well as to manage the technological and environmental solutions in a multi-scale perspective. The paper presents the methodology developed by the ARC3-2 Urban Planning and Design working group of the Urban Climate Change Research Network (UCCRN) and the results of the experimental activities conducted within Studios and Workshops promoted in New York, Paris and Naples by the New York Institute of Technology, the Polytechnic of Milan and the University of Naples Federico II. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tourism is the third largest socio-economic activity in the EU and thus it can be considered an engine for development, producing many positive impacts, from trade sector to employment. At the same time, it can produce many negative impacts because it is configured according to the model of linear economy. A deep analysis of impacts produced by tourism sector and its great potential in contributing to the achievement of SDGs are presented. The aim of this paper is to identify a tourism development/management model able to produce multidimensional benefits and, simultaneously, reduce (environmental, social and economic) costs. In this perspective, the circular economy is proposed as a model able to contribute to make tourism more sustainable. This model necessarily requires appropriate evaluation tools, indicators and knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The quality of the interior spaces is strongly related to the hygro-thermal conditions which affect the users' comfort, and may yield to preservation risk for the built heritage. Moreover, careless management of exposition spaces with excessive occupancy may result in moisture loads that promote degradation. In this paper, as a case study, an exposition hall representative of the built heritage is considered. The microbiological growth risk is investigated at two different climate conditions, namely Milan and Barcelona, considering varying ventilation rates and number of visitors. The results outline the need of policies informed by advanced analyses to prevent hygro-thermal risk in the absence of dedicated building services, that cannot always be integrated in built heritage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cities are highly vulnerable to climate change effects, especially with regard to flooding and heat waves. Green and blue infrastructures are among the mitigation and adaptation nature based strategies, as they improve environmental and ecological qualities in dense urban areas. The paper aims analyzing storm water management practices in urban areas, specifically focusing on the integration of green and blue infrastructure for river restoration. Starting from a literature review, the topic is analyzed considering two case studies, one based in New York City and the other in Nice. In both cases, although in different context and with different approaches, the quality of urban areas was improved thanks to the integration of green and blue infrastructures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Predictive models of species distribution may be very useful for understanding actual distribution of elusive species, including several snakes. The southern smooth snake (Coronella girondica) is likely the most elusive snake species of peninsular Italy, and is therefore well-suited for predicting potential distribution studies. In this paper we predict the potential distribution map of this species in Italy by using MAXENT algorithm, that finds the probability distribution of maximum entropy that is constrained by considered ecological parameters. Presence data for Coronella girondica were gotten from CKmap. The potential distribution model of Coronella girondica showed a very good overall performance (AUC = 0.959), and indicated that high suitability areas correspond mainly to Tyrrhenian north and central regions, including Liguria, western Emilia-Romagna, Tuscany, Umbria, and northern Latium. Southern Italian regions were clearly unsuitable for this snake species. Overall, our study revealed that previous distribution maps indicating the occurrence of Coronella girondica in southern Italy and Sicily were poorly reliable. The conservation and management implications of our study are also addressed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]