Climate change is probably the greatest threat humanity is facing in the 21st century. Moreover, the Covid pandemic worsened the already dramatic situation. Thus, a changing approach to urban dimension – in terms of wellness, health or development – appears to be required. The paper debates that this changing involves synergistic measures to cope climate change while promoting a more conscious use of resources, especially those of the Renewable Energy Communities (RECs), based on the idea that economic growth “as usual” cannot take place at the expense of others fundamental principles such as social justice, intergenerational equity, and environmental protection. Adopting a geographical and scalar approach, the proposed interpretation focuses on the role and potential of cities in articulating a new framework for interpreting reality in view of the need to embark on a more sustainable development path, defining resilient strategies that allow not only to anticipate future shocks – as pandemic is – to prepare the system to absorb them but to adapt or transform itself as appropriate. The Smart City, conceived not as an idealistic and crystallised model of the city but as an ongoing territorial process built on policies specifically designed for the urban dimension, proves to be a valid interpretative tool to frame urban dimension in consideration of issues such as sustainability, resilience and health. A city acts intelligently, i.e. smartly, by virtue of its ability to identify stimuli and existing problems in order to respond appropriately on the basis of available resources and achieve ever higher performance in terms of economic, social, and environmental sustainability, perfectly embodying the concept of transformative resilience. In this role, the potential of cities could lie in their ability to deliver a holistic approach that brings together different paradigms to reshape the current trends on a local scale, adopting synergistic and integrated measures?

Daniele Mezzapelle
University for Foreigners of Siena

 
ID Abstract: 883