SMART DISTRICTS AS A CLIMATE RESPONSIVE STRATEGY FOR URBAN REGENERATION

In the near future, the influence of climate change on the living conditions, on indoor and outdoor comfort as well as on energy demand will assume a more increasingly importance in defining adequate and effective strategies to regenerate and renovate the built environment while supporting the transition process to a low carbon society. In this general framework, the integration of dedicated approaches in the design phases as well as the adoption of useful ICT tools to manage the complex interaction of the interrelated factors investing the urban environment represent a specific challenge. After providing a picture of the main challenges and progresses in this field, the paper describes the methodological outcomes of complementary research activities focused on the development of Smart District as a core strategy to improve the adoption of climate responsive design option both at building and district scale. This means the adoption of sustainable renovation option and energy savings measures while facilitating the integration of smart devices, sensor and controller to collect data and monitor the behaviour of buildings as well as of the shared spaces between them with the goal to increase urban quality. The paper includes some examples of how design options can be implemented into a comprehensive interactive platform, of expected impacts (energy consumption, emissions, efficiency, urban quality and environmental sustainability), of key indicators taking into account technical and non-technical barriers.