Urban resilience and waste management: proposals of new infrastructures for urban areas and buildings

Abstract

As a direct consequence of bad habits marked by wastefulness, the production of huge waste quantities makes our urban systems vulnerable being under rare and uncontrolled cases of pressures in a state of emergency.
A suitable and proper integrated waste management contributes to the urban system resilience. This is the reason why planning and designing new services are fundamental: in addition to the identification and integration of spaces and technologies, it is possible to stimulate inhabitants to sort waste properly and constantly.
This paper offers the results of a search realized in a small Sicilian town. We have started our work analyzing typological, technological, and building features of constructions in the historical center in addition to their state of preservation. Then, we have drawn up a proposal concerning new infrastructures for the involved urban area and buildings – consistent with the historical value of the town center – aiming at the creation of proper networks of eco stations where inhabitants can sort waste constantly, and acquire loose stuff (refill points).
We have identified and suggested technological solutions - already on sale - whose integration with the current historical heritage is proper and feasible from the economic and technological points of view. The expected results are the following: to improve services for a better life quality; to increase waste sorting; to produce resources with interesting economic effects on inhabitants; to reduce management costs and atmospheric emissions.