Valentina Gianfrate

RESILIENT COMMUNITIES. SOCIAL INFRASTRUCTURES FOR SUSTAINABLE GROWTH OF URBAN AREAS.A CASE STUDY

Climate change, natural and human-made disasters, overcrowding spaces, waste production, and energy access are just a few of issues that our cities have to deal with. At the same time, cities offer a promising intervention field to foster collaborations in planning and managing sustainable infrastructure for sustainable growth. Creating resilient cities has both social and physical dimensions. Reinforcing local identity and culture contributes to positive relationships among individuals, improving their collective ability to face change. The City of Bologna is engaged in the definition of pilot actions to promote the active participation of stakeholders for the acceleration of Local Urban Environment Adaptation Plan for a Resilient City, linked to Common Goods Regulation: act together (collective regeneration of urban spaces), live together (new welfare, health and well-being), grow together (collaborative spaces for innovative jobs and enterprises). In this context the Research Group of the University of Bologna is involved in the development of a flexible and replicable methodology to support the transition to more sustainable urban context. This paper illustrates this methodology and the experimental study carried on to establish active mechanisms of engagement of citizens, associations, creative communities, private bodies, aiming at increasing community resilience and sensitivity and fostering sustainable growth.

Green buildings and design for adaptation: Strategies for renovation of the built environment

The recent EU Directives 2010/31 and 2012/27 provide standards of nearly zero energy buildings for new constructions, aiming at a better quality of the built environment through the adoption of high-performance solutions. In the near future, cities are expected to be the main engine of development while bearing the impact of population growth: new challenges such as increasing energy efficiency, reducing maintenance costs of buildings and infrastructures, facing the effects of climate change and adjusting on-going and future impacts, require smart and sustainable approaches. To improve the capability of adaptation to dynamics of transformation, buildings and districts have to increase their resilience, assumed as ‘the capacity to adapt to changing conditions and to maintain or regain functionality and vitality in the face of stress or disturbance’ (Wilson A., Building Resilience in Boston, Boston Society of Architects, 2013). This paper describes the research methodology, developed by the Department of Architecture, a research unit of Technology for Architecture, to perform the assessment of resilience of existing buildings, as well as the outcomes of its application within Bologna urban context. This methodology focuses on the design for adaptation of social housing buildings, aiming at predicting their expected main impacts (energy consumption, emissions, efficiency, urban quality and environmental sustainability) and at developing models for renovation.

Resilient cities: Mitigation measures for urban districts. a feasibility study

More than 70% of the European population live in cities, which are affected by several critical issues, such as the depletion of energy and material resources, decreasing of food security, increasing of greenhouse gas emissions levels with relevant environmental impacts and management issues (e.g. waste treatment). Urban areas emit about 80% of the global CO2 emissions and they are responsible for about 80% of global energy consumption. Therefore, cities offer a possible action field for decisive local initiatives to address sustainability challenges, especially in terms of policy and societal actions, inspiring specific projects, which could be translated into more systematic programs at higher levels of governance. In order to mitigate climate change effects, the European energy policy is focused on buildings’ energy efficiency due to its substantial savings’ potential. This paper describes the integrated design approach developed by the Research Unit of the Department of Architecture of the University of Bologna, (RU) with the aim to identify scenarios of resilient actions for renovating existing buildings and districts, as well as for framing effective refurbishment design criteria at district level. This integrated approach combines energy efficient solutions and technologies, which have positive and sustainable impact on the environment with customer oriented strategies in order to ensure gains and customers’ expectations and requirements at the same time. The paper highlights: the link between mitigation strategies and the built environment; the application of the proposed Integrated Design Approach (IDA) inside the real context of Bolognina neighbourhood (Bologna, IT); the link between life cycle assessment (LCA), mitigation measures and IDA; analysis of results, impacts and potentialities of replication.

Co-design for Resilience: Solutions, Services and Technologies for Urban Spaces

Resilience design strategies anticipate significant detrimental climate change to create optimal conditions to face the continuous and deep changes of urban environment, acting on the causes (mitigation) and on the effects (adaptation). The paper illustrates a methodology that combines technological and social aspects for the transition to resilient districts and communities with the aim to co-deliver city-based solutions and services and to drive sustainable growth in vulnerable contexts.

Transition To Sustainable City: An Integrated Design Approach For Transformative Districts – A Proposal For Replicability

Effective strategies for renovation of the existing building stock are essential to meet climate change challenges, improve energy security and alleviate fuel poverty. More than 80% of existing dwellings will still be in use in 2050 and in need of retrofitting actions. Residential building renovation is one of the objectives of the EU 2050 Roadmap and replicable solutions are needed to meet the EU’s ambitious target. The Research Unit of the Department of Architecture of Bologna has developed a feasibility study for renovation of social housing in Bologna, focusing on Bolognina neighbourhood, a 1920s/1960s district with high replication potential. This building stock requires a comprehensive renovation strategy capable of increasing energy performance, improving the quality of living and integrating the district and its community into a more sustainable city vision. The aim is to speed up innovative actions to energy renovation in order to boost transition towards more resilient and efficient environment. An integrated design approach is adopted to develop flexible and non-disrupting solutions, define keydesign parameters and their interrelation at district scale, implementing innovative energy and environmental assessment methodologies. This paper explores the importance of ‘replication’ in a complex built environment, developing effective strategies at district scale and identifying further researches branches for future transitions to 2050.