PROJECT DESCRIPTION
BACKGROUND
European cities are highly vulnerable to both current climate variability and future climate change. According to the European Environment Agency, European cities will experience increased levels of heat, flooding, water scarcity and droughts. LIFE GOOD LOCAL ADAPT project focuses on the adaptive capacity of small- and medium-size cities in the Basque region, mainly related to urban design and based on stakeholder and residents’ participation and inputs to challenges faced in the selected urban areas regarding heat and water scarcity. The project will also anticipate and consider future potential impacts in the Basque region, such as droughts, and will focus on more efficient management of water resources.
OBJECTIVES
The main aim of the LIFE GOOD LOCAL ADAPT project was to adopt sustainable solutions for urban areas for adapting to heat waves and water scarcity. The project encouraged complementarity between public and private initiatives in small- and medium-size municipalities that are less advanced in terms of mainstreaming adaptation into their policies. The project would promote the adoption of innovative technologies and traditional solutions that contribute to mitigating the effects of heat and an adapted management of water resources.
Specific objectives were to:
- Increase the public’s knowledge of climate change issues, risks and behaviours, and public support for adaptation measures in urban areas, especially those that offer the most effective incentives to foster individual action;
- Tailor priority methodologies to the available resources of small and medium-sized municipalities in order to foster the adoption of adaptation solutions that are socially acceptable, economically sustainable, avoid collateral impacts and promote social, economic and environmental benefits;
- Implement adaptation solutions for the efficient use of water, vegetation, insulation and ventilation;
- Transfer the project approach, process and outputs to municipalities throughout the EU; and
- Assess the impact of the adaptation solutions on local communities.
The LIFE GOOD LOCAL ADAPT project would fit the objectives of the EU climate change adaptation strategy by developing a range of tools, support and guidance materials to enhance adaptation measures. The project would create methods and new technologies, which would complement existing knowledge available in the web-based European climate adaptation platform ‘Climate-ADAPT’. This latter aspect corresponds to Action 3 of the adaptation strategy, which encourages local authorities to adopt local adaptation strategies and awareness-raising activities.
RESULTS
The LIFE GOOD LOCAL ADAPT project carried out actions to improve the adaptive capacity to climate change of three municipalities in the Basque region of Spain. Through the participation of stakeholders and the local population, the project addressed the challenges related to rising temperatures and water scarcity. It developed an urban design process for ameliorating the effects of heatwaves, droughts and flooding, which are common climate risks for the region. A range of tools and methodologies were developed to assist decision-making in each municipality.
First, the project carried out an analysis of the funding sources and incentive models for meeting the climate challenges, before focusing on developing prototypes. The project, however, encountered difficulties in this latter stage. For example, a local resident occupied the public building selected for one of the prototypes in the municipality of Balmaseda, leading to a legal process that was still ongoing at the end of the project. Although adaptive solutions had already been designed for this building, the project selected an alternative building at the beginning of 2020, adapting its plans. Furthermore, the town council postponed the public tender for carrying out this building work due to budgetary problems relating to restrictions to curb the spread of Covid-19. The building prototype therefore has not yet been constructed, although its designs are valuable, comprising:
- Greenhouse under the roof, which contributes to the building’s heating system, while the stale air from the office areas feeds the plants it contains.
- Dry construction systems, which demonstrate the benefits of eliminating waste as a climate change adaptation strategy.
- Vegetable roof tiles, which create a thin layer of moss that aids the thermal regulation of the building.
- Treatment of rainwater and grey water in tanks on the ground floor for re-use in the toilet cisterns, watering the rooftop greenhouse and cooling the roof temperature.
- Green infrastructure integrated into the new garden design, which includes some urban agriculture points and provides a new green and fresh urban space to the surroundings.
- Water sprinkling on the roof of the building, which cools the roof’s temperature.
An urban prototype was developed for the San Ignacio neighbourhood of Legazpi, a location with very few green areas.. The project demonstrated the technical and financial feasibility of implementing urban design solutions based on green infrastructure elements.
The solutions include:
- Permeable paving, which minimises the flooding problems linked to rainfall, while the light colour dissipates the heat on hot days. In addition, the porous concrete pavement is mostly laid on top of the existing asphalt, in order to collect the rainwater into a storm-water tank due to the impermeability of the existing ground .
- Bioretention areas comprising five birch and four sweetgum woodlands in combination with esparto grass and other grasses (the overflow-water of these areas are also conveyed to the stormwater tank).
- Rainwater tank made of reinforced polypropylene cells, covered by impermeable EPDM membranes and topsoil, with a capacity of 41.85 m3, calculated to retain an average rainwater event of 25 l/m2.
- Vegetated pergola made of wood, along with a moss roof and wall system (The pergola is waterproof thanks to the use of a bituminous membrane, and includes a layer of biodegradable coconut coir and the plants and moss substrate).
The project also created a range of tools that are available to the municipalities and partner organisations, including:
- Cost benefit assessment analysis tool for climate change adaptation solutions;
- Life cycle assessment analysis tool for climate change adaptation solutions;
- Templates for technical and administrative specifications of prototypes;
- Templates for the development of municipal ordinances with climate change adaptation criteria;
- Database of financing instruments for climate change adaptation solutions; and
- Tool for monitoring the benefits of implemented climate change adaptation solutions.
- Tools for citizen engagement processes on adaptation to climate change.
Finally, the project organised six ‘transfer days’ for replicating the results in other municipalities and four major events for showcasing its outcomes. Workshops and events attracted more than 100 organisations. The project also established a network of 23 local entities for the sharing of knowledge and tools for climate change adaptation. The network has already influenced the decision-making of municipalities.
Further information on the project can be found in the project's layman report (see "Read more" section).
