Wednesday, May 23, 2007

Adapting to 'inevitability of 40C city'

24dash.com: Climate Change Adaptation ‘by Design Guide’ for sustainable communities, published today by the Town and Country Planning Association, shows how adapting towns and cities to climate change offers enormous potential for creating high value, quality places where people and businesses will want to spend time.

Speaking at the launch today Robert Shaw, TCPA Director (Policy and Projects), said: “We must adapt to the inevitability of the 40oC city.” Without very strong action we will see temperatures in many UK cities sitting above 40oC for long periods of the summer.

The social and economic, not to mention environmental, implications of this will be far reaching and threatens to undermine the long term desirability of towns and cities as places to live and work.”

“Responding to this requires innovative use of space within and around buildings. Ill thought through promotion of high density development in order to save land can do much to exacerbate the problems. Space needs to be left or created for large canopy trees combined with green space and green roofs which can help to keep summer temperatures in cities cooler and minimise the risk of urban flooding.”

The new guide communicates the importance of adapting to some degree of inevitable climate change and illustrates how adaptation can be integrated into the planning, design and development of new and existing communities.

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