A new research report by multinational professional services firm Arup highlights the need for cities in arid and semiarid climates, like Cape Town, to not only manage their scarce water resources better, but to also promote smarter ways of living in arid urban environments through climate- responsive design and infrastructure solutions.
The report, entitled ‘Cities Alive: Rethinking Cities in Arid Environments’, outlines key principles in shaping city building in arid regions for the twenty-first century.
“Significantly, for developing cities like Cape Town, the report highlights an incremental approach to a water-resilient future, setting out low-cost but high-impact solutions that cities can implement in the shorter term, as well as longer-term investments to secure more equitable access to water and quality of life,” Arup South African Cities Team designer Aamena Desai said in a statement.
According to the report, cities need to learn from the past and make use of locally adapted, climate-specific design solutions.
They need to invest in green and blue infrastructure to increase the resilience of arid cities.
Finally, they need to design intelligent buildings and public spaces that respond to the demands of the climate.
The report points to examples of initiatives in arid cities that are making them more sustainable, healthier and better places to live, including through fog and dew harvesting, cool pavements and energy efficient buildings.
“New technology is allowing harvesting systems and materials to be optimised to extract large amounts of water, even in arid environments with low levels of humidity, the report says.
Touching on cool pavements, it notes that small changes to existing designs can make an impact.
“For example, a rethink of public spaces could improve the quality of life for citizens.