Climate change risk assessment for the historic city

Cities accommodate around three quarters of the population, a share which is expected to increase in the next future, concentrate major economic and innovative assets and, for these reasons, are becoming the focus of the fight against climate change. Historic centres are key pillars of their economy, contribute to welfare and quality of life and represent the expression of human culture. Impacts of climate change on historic cities are still uncertain, as they depend on the nature, specific characteristics, inherent vulnerability and geographical environment of the site. Historic cities are requested to adapt to climate change by developing resilient aptitudes to external attacks, such as extreme temperatures, precipitations, floods, landslides, storms and anthropogenic threats. The combination of multi risk assessment and climatic projections is essential for the establishment of the vulnerability of these complex systems, in order to guarantee effective management and adaptation measures, both at urban and building level. Conservation practices require for new holistic and adaptive strategies based on risks indicators with the objective of reducing losses and damages to cultural heritage towards new arising challenges. Aware of the increasing concern of climate change, this paper describes the on-going research activities on a comprehensive methodology for cultural heritage risk assessment for the subsequent implementation of solutions and strategies for the management, protection and adaptation of historic cities.