[PCA] ARTICLE: Nature-Based Solutions and Buildings – The Power of Surfaces to Help Cities Adapt to Climate Change and to Deliver Biodiversity

De Angelis, Patricia patricia_deangelis at fws.gov
Tue Oct 24 08:01:31 CDT 2017


Nature-Based Solutions and Buildings – The Power of Surfaces to Help Cities
Adapt to Climate Change and to Deliver Biodiversity
Enzi V., Cameron B., Dezsényi P., Gedge D., Mann G., Pitha U. (2017) In:
Kabisch N., Korn H., Stadler J., Bonn A. (eds) Nature-Based Solutions to
Climate Change Adaptation in Urban Areas. Theory and Practice of Urban
Sustainability Transitions. Springer, Cham

ABSTRACT
By 2020, according to United Nations and European Union reports, 75% of
Europe’s population will be living in cities – that’s around 365 million
citizens. The majority of our cities are hot, dry, polluted and impermeable
and increasingly densely populated. The pressure for new development means
hard, impermeable surfaces are replacing urban green space and natural
habitats. At the same time, climate change is bringing more frequent and
extreme weather events such as summer storms, flash flooding and heatwaves.

New developments must be resilient. But we also need to retrofit our
existing building stock – to adapt to the impacts of climate change. This
challenge is also a chance – to green cities and to create habitats for
species which in turn provide us with the ecosystem services and benefits
cities will rely on for health, well-being and prosperity through the
twenty first century. When designed in an integrative and inclusive way,
nature-based solutions such as green roofs, green walls, rain gardens,
street trees and other urban green infrastructure generate a wide range of
benefits.

As well as providing habitats for species, urban greening helps to keep
cities cool during summer heat waves, reducing the Urban Heat Island
Effect, to manage surface water flooding due to heavy rains and to improve
air quality. Green infrastructure also offers an attractive economic Return
On Investment (ROI) and a range of other benefits to society, such as
connection with nature, and mental and physical health. High quality green
infrastructure can also reduce noise pollution, a major cause of stress for
city dwellers. Greening a building can help cut heating and cooling costs
too, saving energy and other resources. Green cities give better quality of
life, meaning healthier, happier citizens, higher productivity at work and
a reduction in absence from work due to illness.

This paper focuses on the microclimate benefits of integrating high quality
green infrastructure as part of adapting cities to climate change. It
estimates market potential and related factors such as energy use,
evapotranspiration and water management. It explains through best practise
examples how green roofs and green walls designed for nature can contribute
to urban biodiversity networks. And it shows how twenty first century
nature-based cities can be natural, healthy and resilient.

Full article at:
https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-56091-5_10
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