Author:

Keywords:

gardens, climate change, spatial adaptation

Abstract:

Climate change is one of the largest world-wide challenges of today. Through a better understanding of climate challenges, adaptation arises as a complementary strategy to mitigation. CcASPAR, an acronym for ‘Climate change And Changes in SPAtial structures in Flanders – Research project’ (2009-2012), aims at developing spatial strategies that anticipate the potential effects of climate change and corresponding policy recommendations. Two concepts are helpful to develop these strategies: vulnerability and resilience. Vulnerability is the likelihood of social and ecological systems to suffer harm from exposure to stresses and shocks. Resilience, which can be seen as the antonym of vulnerability, enables a system to deal with stresses and continue to develop. Within the context of human settlements and climate change adaptation, urban green (green elements and structures intimately linked to human settlements and infrastructures) can play an important role in the vulnerability and resilience of a system. Urban green and climate change are linked through a range of ecosystem services, including a ‘cool island’ effect and the catchment, retention and infiltration of water run-off. These ecosystem services reply to the expected reinforcement of urban temperature and water run-off, being already known effects of urbanization, because of climate change (Gill et al., 2007). Looking more into detail at urban green, a considerable part of it exists out of domestic green or gardens (Gaston et al., 2005). Nevertheless, gardens are missing in spatial planning policies and urban development schemes. As a consequence, climate related ecosystem services of the garden complex are not yet taken into account in spatial adaptation strategies to climate change. This poster will present research in progress on the potential role of gardens in spatial adaptation strategies for climate change in Flanders. It will present results from a literature review concerning urban green, ecosystem services and spatial climate change adaptation. Next to this, structural characteristics of the garden complex in Flanders will be given to point at its spatial importance. Finally, an overall picture of further research will be given: explore the strategic possibilities that lie within the garden complex for spatial adaptation to climate change. Relevant ecosystem services identified in literature will be interpreted towards the garden complex and, by means of research-by-design, incorporated into integrated spatial adaptation strategies for two case-study areas. Lessons learned from these designs as well as from the whole design process will add to the set of acknowledged spatial adaptation strategies to climate change. Comments: References: Gaston, K. J., Warren, P. H., Thompson, K., Smith, R. M., 2005b, Urban Domestic Gardens (Iv): the Extent of the Resource and Its Associated Features, Biodiversity and Conservation 14(14):3327-3349. Gill, S. E., Handley, J. F., ENNOS, A. R., Pauleit, S., 2007, Adaptating Cities for Climate Change, Built Environment 33(1):115-133.