Speaker
Description
One of the most pressing issues our cities face today is the constant rise in temperatures, leading to heat islands, biodiversity loss, increased mortality rates, and overburdened national energy systems. The solutions most commonly used today, such as air conditioning systems, involve significant energy consumption. This creates a cycle of dependency on energy resources and widens the gap between those with access to such technologies and those without, making these interventions unsustainable, both environmentally and economically. Eurostat 2020 data highlights that cities account for approximately two-thirds of global energy consumption and are the primary source of air pollution, contributing to 75% of global CO2 emissions. The residential and transport sectors are the major contributors to these emissions, underscoring the urgent need for a radical transformation in the planning and management of urban areas.
While cities are the main drivers of global climate challenges, they also represent the most promising starting point for implementing policies and actions aimed at climate protection.
In this context, models such as Positive Energy Districts (PED), Smart Cities, and Zero Emission Cities offer interesting prospects supported by research and funding programs. However, such approaches often prioritize highly technological and standardized solutions, neglecting the socio-cultural and environmental specificities of the territories where they are implemented. This lack of contextualization not only limits scalability but also risks exacerbating inequalities and undermining the effectiveness of interventions.
It is possible to develop approaches that consider local specificities, such as climate, socio-economic conditions, urban culture, and community needs. This thesis adopts such an approach in the specific context of the neighborhood Ostiense in Rome, characterized by moderate urban density and a heterogeneous socio-economic and spatial fabric. The proposed hypothesis is based on the need for a profound sensitivity to the territory and context, recognizing that only through this approach can cultural and social identity be enhanced, the environment regenerated using nature-based solutions, local resources optimized, and flexible, adaptable design promoted. This entails implementing minimal but essential interventions capable of integrating innovation and tradition to address environmental challenges without compromising the unique characteristics of the place, but rather amplifying its unique potential.
The contribution proposes an interscalar approach that integrates two complementary strategies: micro and macro interventions, closely connected to each other. Micro-actions focus on a toolkit of mineral, technological, natural, and water-based devices designed to address specific climatic needs and the characteristics of urban fabric of Ostiense.
In parallel, macro-actions outline a broader scenario of climatic improvement for the city of Rome, developing a strategic vision that amplifies and harmonizes the impact of micro-actions on a territorial scale. This dynamic relationship between the two levels enables the challenges of climate adaptation to be addressed in an integrated manner, adapting local solutions to a systemic perspective.
The operations aim to promote an energy and climate transition that goes beyond the mere application of technological apparatuses, integrating innovative solutions with an approach more deeply rooted in the local and autochthonous context. This involves leveraging what Philippe Rahm defines as the “materials of today” – tools and resources that, in reality, date back to the pre-electric era, such as wind, geographic conformation, solar movement, albedo, conduction, and other natural dynamics.
The objective is to envision ways to adapt to climatic conditions by enhancing the climatic specificities of the territory itself, intervening in public spaces and proximity areas to create more natural comfort situations and reduce energy use.
| Keywords | energy; climate crisis; comfort; urban strategies |
|---|---|
| Best Congress Paper Award | No |
