Search

L’injonction actuelle à l’adaptation des territoires au changement climatique et à ses effets ne contribue-t-elle pas à l’émergence de nouvelles formes d’aménagement des zones exposées au risque d’inondation par débordement de cours d’eau ou submersion marine, via le développement de nouvelles pratiques opérationnelles visant à aménager avec l’inondabilité et l’eau ? Cette question est examinée grâce à une analyse comparée des politiques d’aménagement des zones inondables aujourd’hui mises en oeuvre en France et en Espagne. En France, de nouvelles formes d’action publique voient le jour (au moins ponctuellement) afin de favoriser la résilience des territoires à l’inondation et leur adaptation aux conséquences du changement climatique. Les opérations d’urbanisme résilient et les acquisitions/démolitions de biens en zone à risque constituent deux manifestations de l’appropriation progressive de cette nouvelle logique par les acteurs de l’aménagement des territoires locaux. À l’inverse en Espagne, les initiatives s’inscrivant dans la logique du « faire avec » le risque d’inondation apparaissent bien plus embryonnaires. Toutefois, cette nouvelle perspective et les formes d’aménagement qui lui sont associées commencent à être mises en débat suite à de récents aléas naturels qui ne manquent pas de questionner les modes d’aménagement qui ont été privilégiés jusqu’à présent, en même temps qu’apparaissent des actions qui, promues par les collectivités territoriales, s’engagent pour un aménagement urbain plus résilient face au risque d’inondation., Do current mandates to adapt territories to climate change and its effects contribute to the emergence of new forms of development in flood prone areas (by overflowing rivers or marine submersion), through the development of new operational practices aimed at flood and water planning ? This question is examined through a comparative analysis of development policies for flood-prone areas currently implemented in France and Spain. In France, new forms of public action are emerging (at least occasionally) to promote the resilience of territories to flooding and their adaptation to climate change. Resilient urban planning initiatives and the relocation of properties in risk areas are two manifestations of the gradual appropriation of this new logic by local planners. In contrast, initiatives that follow the logic of living with the risk of flooding appear to be much more embryonic in Spain. However and after some recent flood episodes, this new perspective and the forms of development associated with it are subject to increasing debates that question conventional flood management measures and promote a more flood resilient urbanism.

Much has been debated regarding the environmental and economic aspects that conform the pillars of sustainability in nature-based solutions (NbSs). However, the social implications are lagging behind in both theory and practice. NbSs are not inherently socially and environmentally just and they might not work for or benefit everyone. On the contrary, they may lead to unequal environmental tradeoffs influencing therefore community acceptance. This research explored the different levels of community acceptance of NbSs in the Tordera delta (Catalonia) through structured interviews and Q-methodology with representative stakeholders. It pretended to contribute to more just NbS discussions by identifying variables of community acceptance through a socio-environmental perspective. The results exposed existing socio-economic and socio-spatial differences that cause unequal co-benefits and tradeoffs among stakeholders of the area. Three distinctive discourses were identified: (1) NbSs as an opportunity to re-naturalize the river; (2) the possibility of NbS implementation if aligned with the current socio-economic structure of the delta; and (3) the belief in a hybrid NbS future, combining grey infrastructure and NbSs. Building on those results and discussions, the paper reflected on a restructuration of the delta's governance through further collaborative processes to seek a more socio-environmentally just and inclusive NbSs in the area.

Urban areas are increasingly experiencing extreme weather events, especially related to water (e.g., droughts, heatwaves, floods), which are devastatingly impacting infrastructure and human lives. Compact cities, conceived to create more robust, effective, and sustainable environments, are under pressure to increase their resilience by co-producing adaptive strategies mainly focused on the urban public space. However, public space design tends to face environmental challenges without sufficiently exploring their intersection with social issues (citizens living conditions and vulnerability) and political structures (governance). This contribution delves into how urban public space interventions are (not) moving towards achieving urban resilience in an integrated way instead of sectoral. A triple-loop approach has been developed and tested in ten urban public spaces in European compact cities in the last 25 years. The results report how most projects reinforce the social dimension by promoting citizen well-being through new quality standards in public spaces, excluding some citizenry’s vulnerable segments (immigrants, women, and disabled). The political dimension reinforces hard adaptation measures to manage water resources, although increasing attention is put on nature-based solutions, and most projects ensure participation processes. Finally, the environmental dimension is the most transversal by increasing land conversion, ensuring flooding mitigation, and enhancing adaptive capacity.

This paper analyses the water-energy nexus (WEN) in hotels and recreational activities of Benidorm, a mass tourism resort on the Spanish Mediterranean coast. A survey was administered to a sample of three- and four-star hotels to estimate (1) water and energy consumption; (2) energy consumption for water uses, and (3) trade-offs between water and energy. Quantitative data was complemented with selected interviews with hotel managers and staff. A strong correlation was found between water and non-renewable energy consumption despite the presence of solar panels in hotels. Hotels with large restaurants (>250 seats) had higher water and energy consumption while spa facilities and lawn areas were positively correlated with energy consumption per guest night. Energy used for water increased according to hotel category. We estimate energy used for water oscillating approximately between 104 and 368 kWh/m3 for hotels and between 21 and 63 kWh/m3 for a waterpark. The interviewees revealed little familiarity with WEN despite its potential to achieve water and energy savings. Unsustainable trade-offs between energy and water were found in salty groundwater extraction and disposal for several hotels and for the waterpark. On the positive side, the use of biomass boilers proved to be highly efficient.

[EN] In this paper, we present an agent-based model for exploring the interplay of basic structural and socio-cognitive factors and conventional water saving measures in the evolution of domestic water use in metropolitan areas. Using data of Barcelona, we discuss three scenarios that involve plausible demographic and cultural trends. Results show that, in the three scenarios, aggregate outcomes are consistent with available conventional modelling (while total water use grows, per capita water use declines); however, the agent-based simulation also reveals, for each scenario, the different dynamics of simple policy measures with population growth, cultural trends and social influence; thus providing unexpected insights for policy design.