Ben Craven Architecture + Design Portfolio

Sustainable Urbanism - How will the rise of sea levels as a cause of climate change affect our coastal cities? 

 

“Flooding is identified as the most significant risk, currently and in the short term, across the UK. Water availability and overheating of buildings are assessed to be increasingly significant by the middle of the century, particularly in England.”1 Identified by The 2012 UK Climate Change impact assessment. Water and our coastline is a crucial aspect that shapes our built environment and has been a driving factor for many centuries. We depend on it, we use it, we live with it and we must respect it. The Subject I propose to research is topical and concerns the effect of climate change on the world’s global coastal cities. I will aim to explore the causes and impacts of flooding on coastal cities and to identify current solutions and potential measures for dealing with it, specifically with the urban flooding conditions in central London, England. As a cause of rising greenhouse gas emissions the temperature of the world is increasing and as a by-product of the rise in temperature polar ice melts therefore increasing the volume of seawater. The likelihood of intensified and more frequent extreme weather conditions combined with the rise in sea levels means water will move farther inland and with increasing force causing havoc in the worlds most dense urban centres.