Climate adaptation and design: from science to action through advanced research and widely shared skills

Abstract

The climate crisis is a growing risk for cities, infrastructure, and landscapes. The rise in global mean temperature (approximately more than ~1.3°C compared with the pre‑industrial period), and the higher frequency and intensity of extreme weather and climate events are already affecting key sectors such as health, the economy, and safety. Alongside ambitious mitigation policies, making adaptation strategies workable is now a concrete need for design practice, as well as for land and asset management. In this chain of processes, climate science does not only “provide scenarios”. It also builds information that can be used in the built environment, such as choosing the most suitable datasets, checking consistency between models and observations from the past, and helping decision‑makers read uncertainties in a way that fits technical choices. Experience from applied research and from collaborations with actors working on planning, infrastructure, and service management shows that the added value is given by the ability to turn high quality and innovative data into requirements and thresholds that designers and administrations can understand, and into monitoring systems that allow adaptation choices to be improved over time. Generally speaking, the entire process “from data to actions” requires a multidisciplinary chain that leads: (i) from data availability to interpretation through clear indicators; (ii) to risk assessments that include hazard, exposure, vulnerability, and adaptive capacity; (iii) to prioritising and implementing measures; and (iv) to continuous monitoring of effectiveness over time. One of the most delicate steps is co‑design with administrations, professionals, and citizens. To work well, it needs a shared language, ongoing dialogue, and innovative skills from the scientific community to both maximise environmental and social co‑benefits, and reduce inequalities that climate change tends to worsen.