Cities do not simply experience the effects of climate change. Through the way they have been built — and the way they continue to evolve — they also shape their own vulnerability.
How much land have we covered with impermeable surfaces? Where does water go when it rains? How much space have we left for trees, soil and natural drainage systems? How do we design buildings, streets, public spaces and new infrastructure? And, above all, how much of the impact of an extreme event is determined by the event itself, and how much by the urban planning decisions made over time?
These questions are at the heart of “Climate Change and Urban Planning”, a new ItalyNews.it Notebook.
This is not intended to be another collection of news about climate emergencies, nor a space where every extreme event is automatically attributed to climate change.
Instead, it will observe what happens at the intersection of climate, territory and design.
The Notebook will explore issues including water management, land use and soil permeability, green and blue infrastructure, urban regeneration, climate adaptation, biodiversity, bioclimatic design, and the relationship between the built environment and natural systems.
The aim is not to propose a universal solution. Cities and territories are different, and different places require different responses.
The aim is to ask better questions.
Because a resilient city is not created only through its ability to respond to an emergency. Resilience begins much earlier: when a street is designed, when land is transformed, when a building is regenerated, when new infrastructure is planned — or simply when we decide how much space nature should be allowed to retain within our cities.
This editorial journey will be curated by Natalia Giacomino, architect and artist, bringing together perspectives on architecture, landscape, infrastructure and the way we experience the spaces around us.
Her first contribution begins with something remarkably simple:
watching a city when it rains.
Because sometimes it is only after the rain that the urban decisions hidden on a sunny day become visible.
ItalyNews.it
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