Our compatriot architect and urban planner Despo Thomas, who is currently in charge of reforming and adapting big cities to the United States change, gives advice that can be useful for Cypriot cities, the countryside, the open and occupied areas.
He stressed that due to the changing weather conditions, it is necessary for cities to grow sustainably and smartly. He points out that we need to reconsider the way we build our cities, especially now that the volume of rain is increasing. But he also sees this change as an opportunity to reconnect our cities with nature and people with their ecosystem.
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- According to scientific research, the serious negative effects of climate change in Cyprus (high temperatures and extreme weather-floods) will continue to worsen. What necessary measures in the ecosystem and what models of environmental efficiency, adaptation, spatial planning and sustainable development could be implemented so that the urban areas of our country become more resilient in the face of serious risks?
- Indeed, last winter in Cyprus was the rainiest in the last 100 years, according to scientists. Due to climate change, Cyprus will have more and more rainy winters, which will cause more problems and floods in cities and villages, if we do not take some necessary measures now to develop our cities sustainably and intelligently. It is crucial that all of us, whether ordinary citizens or leaders, reconsider the way we see and understand our ecosystem and how we build our cities. We observe from recent floods that the volume of water falling to earth is greater and the speed at which water flows is constantly increasing. The combination of these two parameters is disastrous for our cities, which have built water collection systems for smaller volumes and for more gradual rainfall.
I saw this phenomenon, for example, in Protaras and Paralimni last year when I was there. In particular, large and very rapid volumes of water flooded low places in the area such as Kapparis and eroded the beaches of the area. The aquifer was filled with water to the extent that one could see water gushing on the beaches of Protaras, thus justifying the name "Fountain" that the area used to have. At the same time, it was an impressive and very disturbing sight. Nature and water with their power will take back the space they need, but this comes with great disasters and costs for the city and its inhabitants, if they find us unprepared.
So, in a way, our cities and villages need to create spaces where water can be collected, even temporarily during a rainstorm, before it can flood roads and homes. In other words, to make the city like a big sponge, which at every opportunity collects and absorbs water. To achieve this, we need to look at the topography of each city, find out where the high and low points are, and where the water passes. The high points of a city are ideal for holding water in a rainy season.
Our goal will be to keep the water high before it manages to reach the low points. Then it is important to strengthen the low points and give the possibility to the water that has been collected there, to be emptied below in the system or to be stored and reused. So, we see that starting from this basic principle, we can change the way we design parks, squares, streets and buildings. Every project is an opportunity to improve the water system. For example, if a city wants to build a square located in a high point in the topography, then the city should seriously consider the possibility of incorporating water collection and storage areas, so as to delay its descent. At the same time, at every opportunity we see, we need to reduce the hard concrete surfaces in open spaces because they do not allow water to pass through and be absorbed by the earth. For example, the courtyards of large buildings and houses can help create a city sponge.
We see that climate change is ultimately a big magnifying glass that brings to the surface the problematic ways in which we have built aspects of our cities. At the same time, however, it is a great opportunity to reconnect our cities with nature, as well as people with their ecosystem.
- In Cyprus, however, there is the reality of occupation and divided land. So do you think there is a need for further adaptation to climate change risk management measures?
- Water does not see the separation, the dead zone, the green line, the occupation. The water will move as it moves based on the topography. For example, in order to avoid floods from the momentum of the Field River, people living in the mountainous parts of the river must work with the people living below so that the latter do not suffer from floods and disasters. Therefore, it does not matter if there is a political border that crosses the river valley because their actions will have consequences for them, and the solutions will have to be formed collectively. Water and natural systems-based design allows us to look beyond political boundaries and look at things from a different perspective, not to make policy, but to improve and protect our place.
Towers can be turned into boomerangs
- Free zones suffer from uncontrolled cementation, exacerbating the effects of climate change. What is your opinion especially about the construction of the so-called "towers"?
- In New York, in general in America, but also in many European countries, for the realization of such projects, which change the image and the character of a neighborhood and a city, the citizens, the communities have a role. There is a dialogue, arguments are presented and if the residents do not agree, then they are not silent. There is a reaction and either the design of a project changes or the project is canceled. I think it is time for Cyprus not only to have an opinion of the neighborhood, the community, the people, but also to have a role, to intervene in the decisions concerning the quality of life and safety. For such large reconstruction projects, it is important to consider what benefits - in addition to short-term financial benefits - this project can bring to the local community. It is good to see if and to what extent they will improve transport systems, public space and urban life. These "towers", which probably do not seem to have any long-term benefits for the Cypriot economy, do not improve bourgeois life and public systems as much as they should. On the contrary, they can be boomeranged for the Cypriot economy and we have such examples from other countries.
Models are student Greta and MP Alexandria
- While there are still leaders who claim that climate change is a myth and that disastrous policies for the environment and urban planning are being implemented, how do you see the world in 10, 20 and 50 years?
- Above all, the need to adapt to climate change is a social and political issue. Every leader has big decisions to make on whether or not to invest in pollution-reducing measures, projects that enhance and protect nature and communities, and new urban planning that prioritizes our natural systems. If we look back for a moment, we notice that every other historical moment of enormous transformations in the world was preceded by a strong and resounding social demand for change.
I strongly believe that our cities will not change if all of us, young and old, do not change the way we understand, respect and influence our ecosystems and consequently the way we ask our leaders to get the right ones. decisions. It is with great pleasure that I see great social and political figures such as 16-year-old Swedish activist Greta Tunberg and 30-year-old New Yorker Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez from New York to promote the criticality of the situation and demand as much as possible to increase it. global average temperature. Seeing this and practicing this profession, I am very optimistic about the future because I believe that now the general public is beginning to have a unanimous demand for change and we already have the necessary knowledge of possible solutions.
Source: Philenews