Climate change is expected to have a significant impact upon buildings, infrastructure and utilities. The Sustaining Knowledge for a Changing Climate (SKCC) project has published a summary overview of a major multi-disciplinary, research programme. Funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council and UK Climate Impacts Programme, SKCC set out to develop a shared understanding of potential impacts and adaptation measures. It aims to inform both practical adaptation strategies and further research needs.

The report notes that our knowledge of the challenges presented by climate change is rapidly evolving. It emphasises that the science and practice of adaptation involves carefully weighing up options, costs and risks within the context of specific locations. Infrastructure is typically designed and constructed to be operational over a long time period. Integrating knowledge of likely future conditions is therefore essential. The main topic areas are urban drainage, urban environments & planning, energy & utilities and transport. Key issues include:

• How can existing buildings and urban areas be adapted to cope with new climate extremes when they were built decades or even centuries ago?
• How should drainage systems in urban areas and on transport networks be modified to cope with changing patterns of rainfall?
• How can cooling systems be designed to cope with warmer weather while minimising energy use?

The report provides an up-to-date bibliography and gives an overview of research and user collaboration. It illustrates a particularly interesting model for solutions-orientated research, incorporating an “integrating framework” and a stakeholder forum to ensure that the outputs reach the widest possible user community.

The integrating framework also ensures common scenarios, tools and case studies and allows for the sharing of common data sets and intelligent access to detailed data. The stakeholder forum advises on the usability of outputs and processes of dissemination. Each of the study areas recognises the value of ongoing dialogue between the developers and users of climate scenario information.

The component Adaptation Strategies for Climate Change in the Urban Environment (ASSCUE) project, led by John Handley of the Centre for Urban and Regional Ecology at the University of Manchester, aims to improve understanding of the impacts of flooding and extreme weather events and potential urban-level adaptations.

It is based on two contrasting case studies - Greater Manchester (population 2.5 million) and Lewes, East Sussex (population 15,000). The project relates risk to aspects of urban morphology, allowing assessment of, for instance, options for flood mitigation based on levels and locations of urban extension. It is thus capable of prioritising areas for further investigative work and identifying areas where adaptation strategies are most urgently required.

The project highlights that the provision of both public and private open space is an important element in urban areas and populations responding to climate change. With higher average and extreme temperatures, it is likely that people’s need for, use and experience of open space will change. The study shows a 13 degree difference in maximum surface temperatures between woodlands and town centres. It also demonstrates the effects of adding green cover to both urban temperature and run-off, suggesting that the latter will require additional urban water storage to counter increased rainfall.

SKCC is developing a user-led plan for future research into the impacts of climate change. For more details, and connections to project websites, see www.k4cc.org 

Author:

Jenny Crawford

Publisher:

The Royal Town Planning Institute

Date:

27-Apr-07

Categories:

Research & Knowledge 

Sections:

The RTPI

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