Photo: Unsplash

 

Act to inspire – Inspire to act

 

We are very excited to host three Nordic Talks events the following months!

On the occasion of the visit of many international researchers and experts in Stockholm for the workshop of our project “SOS Climate Waterfronts”, Intercult is organising three “Nordic Talk” events with title “The future of our cities – Challenges and solutions in the Nordic region and internationally”.

 

Session 1 – “Climate change on urban waterfronts- SOS for the cities and citizens?“

27th May – physical event (recorded and live streamed)

Hosts: Intercult and Europa Direkt Stockholm

Livestreamed from Färgfabriken on Intercult, Europe Direct Stockholm and Nordic Talks social media.

Time: 14:00-15:00 

 

Undeniably, climate changes affect regions all over the world. Sea level rise, high tides, storms and floods enhance the vulnerability of urban waterfront territories and deeply affect the quality of human life. European Commission points out that urban areas, where 4 out of 5 Europeans now live, are exposed to the adverse effects of climate change but are often ill-equipped to adapt to them. With an awareness that the Nordic countries will be one of the hardest hit regions, governments and citizens are taking action.

 

Lasting solutions, efficient and imaginative strategies create more resilient cities, support a sustainable urban waterfront and improve healthy communities – these factors are essential to sustain life on the waterfront. The project S.O.S. Climate Waterfront has been developed with the aim to improve sustainable research structure that enables new solutions and strategies to be found and might reverse the vulnerability of urban waterfronts. Through an interdisciplinary methodology, the S.O.S Climate Waterfront fills the gap in the understanding of how the different scales of urban and landscape planning, architectural design and technology are linked in water related strategies and how they impact each other. It goes beyond economic features to reflect cultural, political, environmental and social, characteristics that influence the quality of human life in the context of climate transformation.

 

The physical event will take place in Stockholm and the city will act as a leading example where infrastructure, city environment, social and cultural life comes to focus. Particularly in this event we will talk about how we can rethink urban waterfronts as laboratories for innovative climate adaptation solutions in different geographical, environmental and cultural contexts, what we can learn from this diversity and how planning for waterfronts goes beyond urban and economic features and reflect upon cultural, political, environmental and social characteristics. 

 

The goal of the event is to disseminate the findings, the conclusions, the warnings we gathered in each visited city involved in the project “SOS Climate Waterfront”, to people living in those cities, in Europe. But the distance between research and citizens is huge.  How can we bridge it? Are we able to do it, are we willing? Except for masterplans, what is the message to the audience and listeners, a suggestion of a concrete action? 

 

Some questions to be discussed:

  • Rising water levels, changes in temperatures, wildfires and floods… How can we prepare ourselves for the changes and challenges that climate change will have on our cities? 
  • How and where should we build our infrastructures and houses in the future? And can we secure existing infrastructure especially in cities with urban waterfronts like Stockholm?
  • What actions is the Nordic region taking to face the future expected or unexpected results of climate change?
  • Do researchers already have the solutions and how can the public be engaged in the changes that are needed?

 

Invited Speakers 

– Pedro Ressano Garcia (PT), Coordinator Horison 2020 S.O.S. Climate Waterfront and Professor Laval University Quebec, Canada 

– Ana Neiva (PT) PhD architect, Researcher and Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Communication, Architecture, Arts and Information Technologies of the University Lusófona of Porto.

– Katarina Larsen (SE), KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Div. History of Science, Technology and Environment

Conversation leader: Iwona Preis, CEO Intercult

The event is the first part of our Nordic Talks event “The future of our cities – Challenges and solutions in the Nordic region and internationally” funded by the Nordic Council of Ministers & Nordic Council.

The talk is declared as an associated event under the Stockholm +50 international meeting hosted by Sweden and Kenya in Stockholm, Sweden 2-3 June 2022.

#NordicTalks #ActToInspire #TheNordics #Stockholm50 #OnlyOneEarth #GlobalGoals