Socio-Technical Aspects of Water Sensitive Urban Design: micro-scale innovative tools for adaptation

The multidisciplinary approach of the Water Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD) is articulated on the synergy between the technical aspect of the urban water management, planning and environmental design to pursue strategic actions for climate change adaptation aiming to enhance the resilience of the complex urban system. The holistic methodology for the integration of the water management within the built environment provides effective outcomes for risk reduction through the development of multiscale solutions in which the goals of environmental regeneration are combined with the social sphere and its interaction with technology innovation issues. The socio-technical aspects of the WSUD at macro, meso and micro level are outlined to identify key points for the transition towards the water sensitivity of the urban system where retrofit interventions of the built environment are coupled with the strengthening of social capital. On a micro-scale the implementation of WSUD measures are tested in the case study of East Naples where the inclusion of bottom-up processes has been effective for the acceptance of adaptation measures at local level. Participatory tools have been developed to achieve the community engagement as an essential goal for WSUD options dealing with changes in the use of water resource and everyday practice of sustainability