A resilient city
Contribute to a framework for the transition to a low-carbon and climate-resilient City, resilient to extreme weather events, pandemics, economic cycles and other potential shocks. Resilient city
This Action Plan takes account of these strategies, as well as the 2021 Climate Action Plan, which sets out ambitious new actions for Ireland to achieve a 51% reduction in overall greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and become a net-zero emissions society by 2050. A central focus of the Climate Action Plan is the decarbonisation of the built environment to help reduce emissions. Decarbonising and improving the energy efficiency of residential and commercial building stock in Cork city will also support other social and economic benefits, including making homes and offices more comfortable, healthier and cheaper to heat and helping alleviate energy poverty. Key to the decarbonisation of the built environment is the rollout of a new National Residential Retrofit Plan, which Cork City Council can use to inform potential delivery mechanisms. By helping to stimulate demand, extending supply chain and workforce capacity, improving governance and making home energy upgrades more affordable, such schemes present a significant opportunity to improve the resilience and energy performance of the building stock within the City Centre, as well as to unlock new opportunities for enterprise and employment. Further, it is anticipated that the rollout of financial supports for energy retrofits can help support combatting vacancy and dereliction within the City Centre by improving the viability and affordability of retrofit works.
Resilience, in an urban context, is about sustaining – and, in some cases, transforming – the systems and conditions within a city that affect the city’s ability to function and deliver essential services, especially to poor and vulnerable communities. Whether in the face of minor disruptions, major shocks, or perennial stresses, resilience is ultimately about securing and bettering people’s lives and livelihoods. Critically, resilience is about taking a holistic view of the various elements of the ‘urban system’ and understanding the interconnected nature of the urban risk spectrum. External impacts such as climate change and the pandemic have highlighted the need for cities to be more resilient, to anticipate, to react, and to recover from external shocks. Research on the resilience of cities and best-practice about how to foster resilience highlights a number of key considerations, including: financial planning uncertainties, decision-making focused on liveability, cost-effectiveness in low carbon approaches, building adaptation needs, public involvement, flooding, and climate friendly urban mobility. Cork City Council’s climate change adaptation strategy put in place a plan to: (i) ensure a proper comprehension of the key risks and vulnerabilities of climate change; (ii) bring forward the implementation of climate-resilient actions in a planned and proactive manner and, (iii) ensure that climate adaptation considerations are mainstreamed into all operations and functions of Cork City Council.
Comparative learnings: Milan/Sydney – vertical forests, DLR - green buildings concept, Living Wall on Orchard Lisle Building in London, Green squares in Barcelona Stakeholders: Cork Environmental Forum, Cork Healthy Cities, Environmental Research Institute, EPA, National Parks and Wildlife Service, SEAI, Office of Public Works
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