Water security: the new normality of informal settlements. Nature-Based Solutions as sustainable mitigation and adaptation strategies

[EN] The COVID-19 pandemic showed us how fragile cities are when dealing with this phenomenon. The lack of green areas, high pollution levels, and human overpopulation contributed to the increase of the urban heat island effect and proved to be the perfect ingredients for the spread of the virus tha...

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Detalhes bibliográficos
Autores: Muñoz Veloza, Monica Alexandra, Dadati, Maria Caterina, Giordano, Roberto, Savio, Lorenzo
Formato: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2022
País:España
Recursos:Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV)
Repositorio:RiuNet. Repositorio Institucional de la Universitat Politécnica de Valéncia
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:riunet.upv.es:10251/184007
Acesso em linha:https://riunet.upv.es/handle/10251/184007
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palavra-chave:Nature-Based Solutions
Informal settlements
Self-building
Water collection
Adaptation
Mitigation
Descrição
Resumo:[EN] The COVID-19 pandemic showed us how fragile cities are when dealing with this phenomenon. The lack of green areas, high pollution levels, and human overpopulation contributed to the increase of the urban heat island effect and proved to be the perfect ingredients for the spread of the virus that changed, perhaps forever, our ways of living inhabiting. The consequences were even more dramatic for the inhabitants of informal neighbourhoods, as these exacerbated existing problems related to economic instability and low food and water security. This paper proposes using Nature-Based Solutions to mitigate and adapt to climate change and increase access to water in informal settlements. The research study focused on analysing two technologies, the Blue-Green roof and Rain Garden, developing a prototype for each one. Considering that the practice of self-building characterises spontaneous settlements, the modules were conceived to be built by theinhabitants using recycled materials. These low-tech strategies improve indoor thermal comfort, facilitate thestorage of filtered rainwater for domestic use and provide access to affordable food through domestic scalecultivation. Implementing these solutions in marginalised neighbourhoods could also empower residents to face challenges related to Global Warming, such as runoffs generated by heavy precipitations, and improve hygienic conditions to prevent the spread of diseases.