URBAN GENERATION

Dense urban areas account for more than 80% of global Gross Domestic Product and by 2050 will host around 70% of global population. But while reducing the impact of anthropogenic activities by lowering the emissions deriving from transportation and building energy use and preserving underdeveloped lands and habitats at the same time, metropolitan areas are facing relevant issues related to their vulnerability to climate and disaster risk, poor human and ecosystems health, and the environmental impact they cause by themselves (e.g. 70% of global greenhouse gas emissions). Regenerative design strategies - among which Nature-based Solutions (NBS) - play a significant role in climate change adaptation and mitigation, overall improving the environmental quality of dense urban areas by decreasing greenhouse gas emissions, reducing the Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect, improving air quality, managing storm-water, fostering biodiversity and improving human wellbeing. Besides, by increasing the energy performance of buildings they can reduce energy and resources consumption related to heating and cooling demand, thus being effective solutions for climate change mitigation and adaptation.

The URBAN GENERATION project aims at developing a methodology with a specific design tool to select NBS and generate site-specific early-design solutions addressing climate change adaptation and mitigation.