DESIGNING for FLOOD RISK a Study of European Strategies for Climate Adaptation
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DESIGNING FOR FLOOD RISK A Study of European Strategies for Climate Adaptation Adria Boynton Harvard University Sinclair Kennedy Traveling Fellow DESIGNING FOR FLOOD RISK A Study of European Strategies for Climate Adaptation Adria Boynton Harvard University Sinclair Kennedy Traveling Fellow June 2018 ABSTRACT This project focuses on design strategies for climate change adaptation. This includes studying the impact of Arno River flooding on Italian architecture and infrastructure, analyzing historic and current European strategies for mitigating flood risk, discussing the benefits of building-scale adaptation, and making recommendations for resilient design in cities at risk of flooding. This report was created as part of the Harvard University Sinclair Kennedy Traveling Fellowship program. It is intended as an exploratory study. N Natural features (OpenStreetMap Contributors 2014b) 0 40 80 160 Roads and Railways (OpenStreetMap Contributors 2014c and d) Miles A view of the Ponte Vecchio in Florence CONTENTS Part I: Context Introduction................................................................................................ 10 Historic Flood Resilience in Florence......................................................... 15 The Flood of 1966...................................................................................... 21 Contemporary Flood Resilience in Florence.............................................. 27 Part II: Case Studies Biblioteca degli Alberi................................................................................ 34 Bosco Verticale.......................................................................................... 37 Basilica di Santa Croce.............................................................................. 38 Tempio Ebraico di Firenze......................................................................... 41 Querini Stampalia....................................................................................... 42 St. Giobbe +160......................................................................................... 45 Piscina San Samuele................................................................................. 46 Calle delle Beccarie................................................................................... 49 Flood Resilient Repair Home..................................................................... 50 Adaptation in Art........................................................................................ 53 Part III: Conclusions Strategies & Materials................................................................................ 56 Recommendations..................................................................................... 66 Appendix Acknowledgments..................................................................................... 71 Reference List............................................................................................ 72 PART I: CONTEXT Resilient and adaptable buildings are a community’s “first line of defense against disasters and changing conditions of life and property. - The American Institute of Architects, 2018 “Where Architects Stand: A Statement of Our Values” 8 ” A diagram of water-related “flows” in Florence 9 INTRODUCTION Floods are the most common natural disaster. Between 1994 and 2013, floods impacted 2.5 billion people globally. This number represents more than half of the people affected by any disaster. Flooding also caused the greatest amount of damage to buildings, even more than earthquakes or other storms (CRED 2015, 18, 32). Research suggests that every dollar spent preparing for risk saves six dollars in recovery efforts (National Institute of Building Sciences 2017). Preparing individual properties for disaster can also help lessen demand on emergency responders in the aftermath of an event (Kaysen 2017). This report will prioritize building-scale strategies for climate adaptation. This scale works well for historic buildings, buildings that are infrequently flooded, buildings with water-dependent uses, and floodplain properties where development is already planned. This scale is also appropriate when existing buildings cannot be moved, or larger methods cannot be implemented. Building-scale strategies offer property owners options for independent action and can act as effective midterm strategies that lead to the adoption of longer- term protections and industry-wide changes in design practice. Building scale strategies can also help create resilient retail spaces, a crucial part of getting back to business in the aftermath of a disaster (NYC Planning 2016, 24). In the wake of the historic 1966 flood in Florence, some of the most sought-after materials were those needed for recovery; including hacksaws, cleaning supplies, and shovels (Clark 2008, 169). These items were difficult to find because stores and inventories were damaged by water, mud, and heating oil. Florence’s recovery depended on reopening its museums and libraries quickly because the city’s economy relied heavily on visiting tourists, students, and scholars (Nencinci 1967, 25). By better protecting buildings from damage, building-scale resilience can also help reduce “secondary risks” 10 Part I: Context A view of the Rialto Bridge in Venice Key buildings (Google Earth Pro 2017, OpenStreetMap Contributors 2014a) Green space (Google Earth Pro 2017, OpenStreetMap Contributors 2014b) Historic center (Sistema Informativo Territoriale 2015) N Roads and Railways (OpenStreetMap Contributors 2014c and d) Arno river 0 0.75 1.5 (OpenStreetMap Contributors 2014b) Miles caused by storms, including health impacts from sewage, mold, and pollution from hazardous materials (Jha, Bloch and Lamond 2012, 263). Successful resiliency strategies are often multidisciplinary and multiscalar, and combining building-scale methods with larger infrastructure or landscape projects can help provide comprehensive solutions. For example, a building prepared for flooding can act as an additional layer of resilience even if a flood barrier already protects the surrounding community. Similarly, resilience strategies can counter many different kinds of environmental risks. Permeable pavement can improve stormwater management while also mitigating the urban heat island effect. Resilient buildings cannot independently solve the problem of environmental risk. In some areas, where flooding is especially common and severe, retreat may be a better option. Location is also crucial: high vulnerability sites should not be paired with high vulnerability buildings like hospitals. Building-scale resilience is not a guarantee against damage and for some, the cost of installing adaptation strategies may be a barrier to implementation. Even in dense cities with historic buildings, there can be opportunities to minimize damage from flooding, protect building contents, improve on-site stormwater management, and better educate residents about climate risks. Florence is an example of such a city. Located in the Tuscany region of Italy, Florence experiences a major flood approximately every 100 years. The most famous example of flooding in this city is the inundation during 1966, which left more than 30 people dead and 5,000 families homeless (Clark 2008, 9). Florence is home to one of the most significant collections of art and architecture in the world. Flooding puts the lives of residents at risk while also endangering the city’s rich cultural heritage. Despite a history of inundations, critics allege that not enough has been done to prepare Florence for the next disaster. Opposite page: a map of Florence Part I: Context 13 You have to ask yourself, why, knowing what they know, “people kept rebuilding here, knowing that every hundred and fifty years there will be a deluge. It seems irrational, but perhaps it’s not. Maybe people weighed the benefits of being here against the cost of losing half or a third of it every century, and they decided it’s worth it - to be here, on the Arno. - Giovanni Menduni former director of the Autorità di Bacino del Fiume Arno, or Arno River Basin Authority (AdB) (Clark 2008, 318) 14 Part I: Context ” Historic Flood Resilience in Florence The history of Florence is a story of a city and its river. Caesar himself may have chosen the strategic spot along the Arno for his Roman camp, which grew into the city of Florence (Vannucci 1988, 9). The river would later change as the city expanded, as weirs were built to support the textile industry, as the riverbanks became the Lungarni embankments, and as human intervention transformed the meandering river painstakingly documented by Leonardo da Vinci to the narrower and straighter course that exists today. The city of Florence has survived centuries of war, occupations, political infighting, and major inundations. These floods were blamed on everything from the alteration of the Arno River’s original course, to the prevalence of weirs along the riverbanks, to deforestation in the surrounding Tuscan countryside. The following timeline summarizes the history of floods and flood risk interventions in Florence, from inundation in the 12th century to the most famous example of contemporary flooding in 1966. Part I: Context 15 Growth during the late Middle Ages and the Renaissance Trees and lumber piled led to increased construction against the Ponte Santa of buildings and weirs. Weirs Trinita during this flood, were built along the Arno increasing water pressure River to combat erosion, against the bridge and