Silvio Cristiano (p), Fabrizio D'Angelo, Marco Ranzato

Mattia Scalas

Urbanisation and energy requirements are projected to keep growing in the next decades, when, though, resource scarcity and the climate crisis are likely to become more and more tangible, with the potential to drastically change the world as we know it, including cities. Discourses on sustainability and resilience have multiplied in recent times, yet with frequently different and watered-down interpretations, and with techno-centred - if not technocratic - approaches. Spatial design is not exempt from similar issues, with urban districts expected to be climate resilient and to be "energy positive", i.e. to allegedly produce (or, better, transform) more energy than they need, when urban areas are consumer systems, requiring large hinterlands, which are often planetary. The idea that is discussed here starts from the discussion of potentially changing variables: no longer looking for improbable technologies to pursue endless requirements, but rather making cities requiring less energy, both absolutely speaking and specifically to adapt to the climate crisis. This is done by resorting to political-economic philosophical approaches on the one hand, and to bioclimatic and ecosystems-inspired urban design solutions, with some applications in (especially Southern) Europe.

Federica Vingelli (p), Sara Piccirillo, Rosaria Iodice, Benedetta Pastena, Libera Amenta, Michelangelo Russo

Silvio Cristiano

Climate change and rapid urbanization processes are urging contemporary cities to face unprecedented sustainability and resilience challenges.
In addressing the complex and interconnected challenges of multi-risk urban contexts, it is becoming clear that an approach to spatial research and policy needs to be increasingly integrated, multidisciplinary and multiscale. In this context, achieving resilience in critical urban contexts becomes an important challenge, as it involves the ability of cities and communities to cope with, adapt to, and recover from a wide range of hazards, including environmental, natural, and man-made hazards. Urban research and policies should integrate the concept of multi-hazard resilience, considering the interconnections between different factors and adopting a holistic approach that takes into account the multiple dimensions of vulnerability and adaptive capacity of urban communities.
This contribution aims to deepen the definition of urban resilience widely shared by the scientific community, and to focus on how it declines in critical and multi-risk contexts. The slow remediation process in the area of Bagnoli, in Naples (Italy), is described as a study case.

Silvio Cristiano (p), Carlo Pisano

Federica Vingelli

An increasing number of catastrophic events was recorded in the first two decades of the 21st century compared to the previous twenty years. The ongoing climate crisis suggests more disasters will happen, while other existing crises (ecological, energy, resources, socio-economic, geo-political, etc.) cannot be disregarded while trying to anticipate and handle them, both as possible concauses and as crucial factors in tackling them over time. Among different models and paradigms to address an uncertain era, Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) and Climate Mitigation and Adaptation (CMA) represent two major categories aimed at inspiring urban and regional strategies, planning, and design options to pursue (climate-related) spatial resilience. A novel systematic literature review is here offered to understand how DRR and CMA are dealt with together in spatial planning, governance, and design, with an overall attention for: publication authorships; time, geographical, and disciplinary distribution; editorial collocation; keywords, contents, and highlights. The literature review is ultimately aimed at providing new knowledge to strengthen DRR and CMA joint use for spatial resilience.

Mattia Scalas (p), Grazia Brunetta, Angioletta Voghera

Silvio Cristiano

As the 2030 deadline for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) nears, a focus on resilience in urban planning intensified. This is evident in efforts to achieve SDG11. The urgency of these goals is underscored by challenges such as pollution, quality of life, and climate change adaptation.

Covid-19 pandemic further complicated these issues, revealing urban vulnerabilities. European cities, which largely implemented similar containment strategies, experienced significant changes in their urban dynamics during pandemic. Lockdowns led to reduced traffic, offering a glimpse into the impacts of urban congestion, including noise reduction, increased public space availability, and lower emissions.

The pandemic also highlighted urban shortcomings, such as the lack of quality public spaces and disparities between different city areas. This emphasized the importance of neighborhood-level planning, focusing on accessibility, public space quality, and sustainable, equitable urban development.

In response, researchers from the Responsible Risk Resilience Centre (R3C) at the Politecnico di Torino worked on Post-UnLock project, aiming to advance territorial resilience research and explore the role of planning in achieving sustainability and resilience in the context of ecological transition.

A key outcome of this research is the concept of Local Resilience Unit, an operational framework at the neighborhood level that combines planning actions with community empowerment. This concept aims to enhance city responsiveness, resilience, and liveability. Such planning concepts are vital given the challenges faced by urban areas.

The Local Resilience Unit paradigm resulted in the book "Post Un-Lock - From Territorial Vulnerabilities to Local Resilience." A PhD thesis funded by this project further explored this concept in Turin, Italy, offering a methodology for identifying city areas suitable for Local Resilience Units, focusing on transformative actions and citizen participation.

The methodology emphasizes pedestrian proximity to essential public and private services. This approach moves beyond traditional administrative boundaries, aligning with concepts like the 15-minute city and the Supermanzana, but with a unique focus on resilience.

Technical mapping in Turin involved calculating accessibility basin overlays using isochronous curves from Points of Interest (POIs), including neighborhood businesses, green spaces, schools, and health services. This approach, leveraging open-source tools like Openrouteservice and QGIS, identified areas suited for resilience-building processes.

The Turin case study revealed the city's predisposition for implementing Local Resilience Units, particularly in neighborhoods like Borgo San Paolo, Santa Rita, and Valentino. These findings suggest potential planning and design initiatives involving citizens to transform identified areas into Local Resilience Units, enhancing urban resilience.