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RESILIENCE: NATURE VERSUS CITY

Resilience has different ways of developing and can take very different forms: this is demonstrated by some animal and tree specimens capable of surviving in extreme conditions, but also by some urban areas that have modified their organizational structure to cope with climatic stress or factors of other kinds.

The most resilient animals

TARDIGRADE

Also called the “water bear”, it is a tiny marine invertebrate that can reach a maximum of half a millimeter: it has 8 legs, inhabiting the ocean floor and some humid environments (rocks and reefs). It can survive up to 30 years without food or water and is capable of withstanding temperatures ranging from -272° C to 150° C. Scientists say it could live for over 10 billion years, much longer than life has on Earth.

ANOLIS SCRIPTUS

This is a common lizard found throughout the archipelago of the Turks and Caicos Islands. Harvard University scholars compared the characteristics of these specimens before and after Hurricanes Irma and Maria, and found that the surviving lizards had smaller bodies and longer, more gripping legs. This is why they have been renamed as “the lizards that defy hurricanes”.

The most resilient trees in the world

DESERT ROSE

Defined as a “wondrous tree” - not only because it manages to survive, but also to bloom in conditions of extreme drought - it is a tall shrub native to the Middle East and tropical and sub-tropical Africa. It has a unique appearance due to its swollen bottle-shaped trunk and thick branches arranged in a spiral.

TREE BENT BY THE WIND IN AUSTRALIA

The saying “I bend but I don’t break” is perfectly suited to this particular shrub found in Western Australia in the Yalligup steppes. For centuries, its trunk has been completely bent sideways due to the strong wind. Regardless of this, it quietly carries on growing.

TREE OF LIFE IN KALALOCH

The roots of this tree rest on two strips of land separated by a deep chasm, but despite the emptiness below, the Tree of Life of Kalaloch in Washington State (USA) continues to sustain its precarious balance and germinate every year.

THE “CROOKED FOREST” IN POLAND

The Crooked Forest got its name from its 400 pine trees, all of which have a strange northward curvature at the base of their trunk. And yet they have managed to grow in height throughout their development without any problems.

Resilience in the language of flowers

LOTUS FLOWER

This flower symbolizes the power of resistance because it shows how to transform adversity into potential: it is similar to a water lily but sinks its roots into the mud of lagoons and lakes. It retains its seeds much longer than all other flowers, so long that it can last up to 30 centuries before blooming without losing its fertility.

DANDELION

The dandelion is also called taraxacum, or lion’s tooth, due to the serrated and jagged shape of its leaves. It blooms annually in spring, producing beautiful yellow flowers. It can proliferate anywhere, even in the most adverse conditions and in the tightest spaces. This is why the dandelion symbolizes strength, hope and trust. In fact, legend has it that Theseus ate exclusively dandelions for 30 days straight in order to become strong enough to face and defeat the Minotaur.

GLOSSARY OF RESILIENT CITIES

Blue infrastructure The range of technological and natural solutions capable of managing the water content in urban settings effective at improving water quality, increasing biodiversity and promoting urban cooling as well as managing excess water.

Green infrastructure The clear and linear organization of the elements of nature, capable of connecting existing and fragmented green spaces, from the most central to the most peripheral areas, to restore ecological continuity and bring nature back to paved and cemented areas. The benefits not only being environmental, but also economic and social.

Health infrastructure Areas with a high assured bed capacity (especially in intensive care), networks for epidemiological surveillance and testing (local primary care units and laboratories), networks for the distribution of protective equipment (pharmacies).

Infrastructure for the mobility of people Characterized by flexible public transport integrated with private transport and by an increase in alternative modes of transport and the mobility of goods.

Communication networks The coverage and performance of fixed, mobile and Wi-Fi TLC networks to guarantee that the technological networks can provide all individuals with immediate communication in the event of an emergency and to enable smart working, smart education and entertainment online.

Urban sensors and control units (traffic, safety, energy and environment) The sensors located in cities produce a large amount of Big Data which, after being collected in special platforms and control centers, is analyzed and used to make decisions in emergency conditions.

MODEL CITIES OF RESILIENCE

ROTTERDAM, THE SPONGE CITY

Undisputed global model of resilience, capable of adapting to the effects of climate change, not to counteract them, but to live with them: this is the philosophy of the urban plan of Rotterdam, a Dutch city that is located below sea level and that has been increasingly affected by the problem of flooding. To relieve this burden, the Watersquare project, implemented in Benthemplein square in 2013, was extended to the entire city: originally a recreational area equipped with outdoor sports areas, the space became a real “sponge” in the event of strong rains and floods by being turned into a catchment and storage basin for excess rainwater. Today, the entire city has been transformed into an interconnected system of squares, parks, fountains and canals that become, when necessary, actual systems for the containment, collection and runoff of high tides, guaranteeing the city’s viability even during the most severe floods.

DETROIT SAVED BY URBAN GARDENS

Detroit is the perfect example of how urban agriculture can transform an industrial city into a green city. Known for decades as the American capital of industry and the automobile, after the severe crisis that led to the closure of the city plants of Ford, Chrysler and General Motors, it suffered a 40% decline in population and accumulated a debt of over 20 billion dollars. Then, thanks to the launch of urban agriculture projects and the greening of abandoned industrial plants, Detroit was reborn. Since 2000, urban gardens have transformed the face of the city, contributing to the annual production of hundreds of tons of fresh produce. Today, Detroit is considered the capital of the American green revolution.

COPENHAGEN AND ITS RAIN GARDENS

The presence of green areas in a city is not only important in terms of better air quality, but also to limit the damage caused by heavy rains that hit with increasing violence in built-up areas, causing flooding and extensive damage. Copenhagen teaches this lesson, where numerous rain gardens have been built, gardens that keep us safe from “water bombs”. These projects counteract the overbuilding of the surroundings, which have caused the land to reduce the rain absorption capacity. They are able to retain more than 50% of rainwater and gradually release it into the sewer system. Rain gardens consist of 50-60% sand, 20-30%, compost and another 20-30% of surface soil.

STROLLING ON THE GREEN ROOF OF SINGAPORE

The Nanyang Technological University of Singapore is composed of three curved forms that intersect each other: huge arched structures that start from the ground and have the unique feature of being covered along their entire length by a soft blanket of grass. Students can use the roof for walking or as a meeting place. But there’s more: green roofs are effective for reducing heat, have the ability to absorb and drain city flooding and increase efficiency.