Project type                          Urban climate resilience policy brief

Partners                              UNEP, Union for the Mediterranean, Habitat for Humanity

Beneficiaries                        MENA cities

Dates                                    2024 (Publication date)

Website                               Cities Alliance. Heritage Centric approaches to climate resilience

The project advocates for the adoption of these cost-effective, locally-rooted solutions, empowering communities, preserving cultural identity, and providing practical climate adaptation strategies. It aims to shift urban planning towards sustainable, climate-adaptive cities while leveraging the region’s rich heritage for modern urban development.

The MENA region is undergoing rapid urbanization, with its cities grappling with challenges such as climate change, resource scarcity, and shifts towards globalized, vehicle-oriented development. There is a need to reassess urban planning, incorporating heritage-based solutions to address climate resilience and promote sustainable development, blending modern innovation with time-tested local knowledge.
Furthermore, the MENA region faces significant climate challenges, particularly water scarcity, due to the growing populations and erratic precipitations. For that reason, there is a pressing need for easily adaptable, affordable, and accessible climate-resilient solutions for cities and urban settlements.

The project embraces the adaptation of passive cooling architecture, that Is highlighted by the UN Environment Program as one of three sustainable measures with the potential to cut carbon emissions related to cooling demands by 60%.

In Tafilelt, Algeria, a new neighbourhood was developed using traditional, energy-efficient materials like adobe and stone, catering to the lower middle class. Similarly, in Egypt’s Borg Rasheed, residents enhanced traditional courtyards with palm trees and canopies to improve thermal comfort and mitigate temperature fluctuations. Embracing these heritage-based solutions not only strengthens cultural identity and continuity but also empowers local communities to lead climate adaptation efforts. Integrating traditional knowledge into modern urban development can create resilient, sustainable cities that honour both heritage and the environment.

• Integrating traditional building techniques provides cost-effective, locally sourced, and easily replicable climate-resilient solutions that are more accessible to poor urban communities.
• It is expected to promote cultural continuity, empowering local communities to engage in climate adaptation initiatives while preserving traditional crafts and knowledge.
• The combination of heritage-based principles with modern urban planning leads to more sustainable, resilient cities that can better withstand the impacts of climate change while fostering vibrant, socially cohesive communities.