INNOVATIVE WATER CONCEPTS FOR THE RESILIENCE TO CLIMATE CHANGE OF EAST NAPLES: A KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER-BASED DESIGN APPROACH TO SOCIAL HOUSING ARCHITECTURE

Introduzione
Current territorial transformation processes, characterized by an increasing urbanization, have resulted in sprawl of impervious surfaces (roads, parking lots, roof tops, and so on) and a decrease in the amount of natural soils that are necessary for the recirculation of storm water in the natural system (Brabec et al., 2003). This has caused harmful effects on water quality and other notable impacts on climate (IPCC 2014). The lack of draining surfaces, reduction of vegetation and natural soils, and diversion of precipitations into centralized sewage systems, provoke a disruption of the natural water cycle of evaporation/infiltration/precipitation (small water cycle), with a reduction of evaporation on land that leads to a decrease in precipitation (Kravčík et al., 2007; Konrad, 2003). This phenomena has, as main effects, the urban heat island with an alteration of microclimate, and an exacerbation of water related hazards, linked to hydrological extremes (TEEB 2011). The undermining of hydrological cycle in the urban environment, due to the impairment of ecological services (evaporative cooling, rainwater interception, storage and infiltration, shading of vegetated surfaces), highlights how the urban system should be considered as a complex system, interdependent and connected to natural ecosystem (Rees et al., 2010).
Therefore it is essential that an innovative water management should be included in the climate mitigation and adaptation strategies1 , developing a holistic and systemic approach to design, preservation and modification of built environments. Furthermore, these measures are realized through a design of settlements, buildings and urban open spaces capable to ensure the reactivation of ecological balance, strengthening the adaptive capacity of the urban system and its resilience to climate change2 (ARUP 2011). Integration of water management within urban planning and design processes represent an effective opportunity for climate change adaptation (UNEP 2014). This has been demonstrated by the emerging Water Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD) approach (ARUP 2011; CESR, 2011; Hoyer et al., 2011). All the elements of the water cycle and their interconnections are considered to achieve together an outcome that sustains a healthy natural environment while addressing societal needs (CIRIA, 2013) and reducing climate related risks.
According to this concept, the implementation of an integrated water cycle management as adaptive design strategy should consider a dual definition of water as resource and as hazard. In the framework of urban design and planning, the first definition addresses the following: an increase of urban spaces environmental quality, microclimate conditions, availability of water, rebalancing ecosystem exchange and hydrological cycle in buildings and open spaces through groundwater recharge, surface water integration, and collection of atmospheric water. […]