Urban waterfronts are facing new challenges when dealing with climate change. The problem affects the citizens, the environment and the local economy. Municipalities, stakeholders, Port Authorities and local communities often disagree upon their own needs. S.O.S. – Sustainable Open Solutions for European urban waterfronts aims to develop new solutions that emerge from the present necessities. Why is it urgent to share, systematize and upgrade knowledge on the subject?
The effect of climate change is increasing at an unprecedented rhythm which demands adaptation and transformation of vulnerable territories. In the last years a number of projects were interrupted when they faced strong opposition coming either from public opinion, the media and/or lawsuits. Projects seem to adress sensitive cultural values and consequently face years of discussion, only to be put aside eventually. Such difficulties bring a loss of competitiveness on all sides, as well as decreasing quality of life for their citizens. This represents a problem within the European Community. Data related to historic and geographic records of specific waterfronts are used to construct patterns of development, feed algorithms and integrate the support of artificial intelligence to design future possible scenarios. S.O.S. Climate Waterfront project gathers ten partners from Portugal, The Netherlands, Italy, Greece, Poland and Sweden to share their best practices, including research on waterfront projects that merge equipments as well as public spaces and infrastructures, projects that succeed in conquering public support and integrating the signs of the collective identity. Climate change solutions can only be successful in ensuring a resilient city if they also engage citizens, educating them about climate change challenges and solutions, and fostering possible changes in lifestyles.
The aim is to exchange transnational examples of best practices during the Secondments, Workshops and Trainings organized with multinational groups, and benefit from special conditions not available in a single institution. Local experts, municipal representatives, stakeholders and international scholars work together, participants exchange views, gain new perspectives and discuss new approaches.
The dissemination of results through international networks, and regional networks, the project gathers academic+business+political+environment: HEI, stakeholders (selected by the Chamber of Commerce), Regional and Municipal representatives, cultural and environmental institutions working on specific waterfront locations, expanding and raising the level of the discussion, creating a think tank.
Through an interdisciplinary methodology, the S.O.S. Climate Waterfront will fill the gap in the understanding of how the different scales of urban and landscape planning, architectural design and technology are linked in water-related strategies and how they impact each other in the definition of preventive action plans and in the enhancement of more conscious solutions to inform the community, human welfare and socio-economic activities along those vulnerable territorial settings of the waterfront.
