- 1University of Naples Federico II, Department of Architecture, Naples, Italy (mariafabrizia.clemente@unina.it)
- 2University of Naples Federico II, Department of Architecture, Naples, Italy (valeria.dambrosio@unina.it)
- 3University of Naples Federico II, Department of Architecture, Naples, Italy (sabrina.puzone@unina.it)
The climate emergency and rising of average temperatures pose major challenges not only in worldwide but also in local contexts. As also reported in the scientific literature, heat waves – especially at the Italian national level – are an increasing phenomenon in terms of intensity, frequency and duration; related impacts becomes more critical in high-density cities as also a consequence of the heat island effect. Climate shelters represent one of the design measures to adapt and mitigate the climate impacts in urban settlements providing safe and temperate indoor and outdoor spaces for the exposed population. The main function of climate shelter is to reduce heat exposure and prevent adverse health effects especially for fragile population, serving as a critical urban infrastructure and as social gathering places for essential resources, protection, safety and comfort, enhancing community resilience and collective well-being.
Based on the scientific literature and on international design experiences, it is possible to define specific design criteria and requirements of climate shelters for the accessibility of the site, the indoor/outdoor users comfort and the design sustainability. It is necessary to ensure safe and comfortable pedestrian access, with shaded pathways and a maximum walking distance. Moreover, the integration of sustainable and multifunctional solutions, such as blue and green measures, is essential to improve the effectiveness of climate shelters. Resilience of urban settlements can then be increase through a network of climate shelter, through a progressive upgrade approach, combining short and long-term interventions. Shelters can be built from public property, even using parts of it. The contribution aims at proposing a simplified handbook with design criteria and requirements to support decision-makers in the design of climate shelter.
Acknowledgements: This study was carried out within the RETURN Extended Partnership and received funding from the European Union Next-GenerationEU (National Recovery and Resilience Plan – NRRP, Mission 4, Component 2, Investment 1.3 – D.D. 1243 2/8/2022, PE0000005
How to cite: Clemente, M. F., D'Ambrosio, V., and Puzone, S.: Climate shelters to improve resilience of urban settlements: design criteria and requirements, EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-19875, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-19875, 2025.
