No. 31 (2026): Risks and built environment: From knowledge to project
Essays and Viewpoint

Design-based adaptation scenarios to climate risks in 20th-century reclaimed landscapes

Alessandro Raffa
Politecnico di Torino, Dipartimento di Architettura e Design, Italia

Published 2026-07-29

Keywords

  • Adaptation,
  • Risk,
  • Design,
  • Climate change,
  • 20th-Century Reclaimed Landscapes

How to Cite

Raffa, A. (2026). Design-based adaptation scenarios to climate risks in 20th-century reclaimed landscapes. TECHNE - Journal of Technology for Architecture and Environment, (31), 85–95. https://doi.org/10.36253/techne-18376

Abstract

In the context of the climate crisis, 20th-century reclaimed coastal landscapes (20CRL) – the result of modernist control over nature – are facing growing systemic risks. Adaptation, however, is hindered by cultural, scientific, and institutional gaps, with design research remaining marginal. ReclaiMEDlanD is a design-based, interdisciplinary, and participatory initiative that, by focusing on two Italian 20CRLs, reconsiders risk as a lens for rethinking current spatial and governance structures, supporting communities toward long-term adaptation scenarios. The future of 20CRLs depends on creatively embracing uncertainty through design, paving the way for a collective agenda for climate adaptation.

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