Cities & Coasts Archives - Page 2 of 3

Conserving nature in the face of urban growth

Better planning for sustainable urban growth and the use of natural solutions, careful management of protected areas near cities, and integration of nature into cities

World Cities Day 2018: Building Sustainable and Resilient Cities

World Cities Day is celebrated every year on October 31st with the aim of promoting the international community’s interest in global urbanization, pushing forward cooperation

The impact of adaptation measures in Urban Heat Islands

A Reflection by CMCC Foundation – REMHI Division Climate change, heat waves & the Urban Heat Island effect The impacts of climate changes are expected

Heat: we have learned the lessons

Summer 2003, the severe heat wave that affected Europe (15,000 excess deaths over August in France, nearly 1,100 of those in Paris) taught our cities that adaptation and preparedness are not an option but a necessity. How are we putting the lesson into practice?

Cities are laboratories - Climate Foresight - CMCC

Cities as climate laboratories for ecological research

A new study attempts to verify if and in which cases cities can constitute proxies to study the effects of long-term climate impacts on plants and animal species. Some peculiar conditions of urban centres, such as high CO2 concentrations, are hard to replicate experimentally; on the other hand, urban variables and characteristics could be misleading for the ecological research.

Cities: pushing for an ecosystem approach

Cities as ecosystems? The benefits of this approach are manifold, including water purification, improved public health, reduced disaster exposure, enhanced resilience and social justice. But to move cities – and so the planet – into a sustainable future, this approach must become more integrated and pragmatic, and applied also in the global south, says on Nature Xuemei Bai, professor at the Fenner School of Environment and Society, Australian National University in Canberra.

Environmental benefits of smart city solutions

Smart city technologies have a high, and largely unrealized, potential to improve quality of life. The idea behind smart cities is to use technology and

Urban sprawl indicators and policies for sustainable urban development

OECD cities are increasingly fragmented and more people are moving to low-density suburbs. A new set of urban sprawl indicators applied in 1,156 urban areas

Small Island States at the Forefront

From immediate emergencies to slower onset problems, Small Island States are those most affected by the combined impacts of climate change and the degradation of oceans’ health. Sitting at the international negotiations they claim the keywords for the future: consistency, ambition. And urgency.

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