Auckland should follow Paris, Toronto, Melbourne, and Singapore to better prevent flooding, experts say
Stuff Article by C. Hawkes 8 Feb 2023
‘Maibritt Pedersen Zari, an AUT associate professor at the School of Future Environments, says there’s “a whole suite of strategies” that could be introduced to enable our systems to cope better.
“Essentially, we’ve got into a situation where our cities are very impervious, with a lot of pavement and concrete – materials that don’t allow water to seep away. We have moved away from working with the natural hydrological cycle. You compare that to a forest with a lot of vegetation and wiggly streams that can expand and contract, so that not all water ends up in the waterways straight away.’
Living cities critical in helping to combat climate change
Architecture Now Editorial 1 July 2022
‘Planted green walls and rooftops, tree-lined roadsides, urban ngahere (forests) and wetlands not only beautify our cities but they are also critical elements in our efforts to mitigate and adapt to the effects of climate change. Associate Professor at AUT’s School of Future Environments, Dr Maibritt Pedersen Zari, is calling on built environment professionals, scientists and policymakers to urgently implement urban ecological regeneration strategies in cities across the globe’.
Living cities combat climate change
Article on AUT News 29 June 2022
“Cities must more comprehensively understand and respond to local climate, ecologies, peoples, and their knowledges. Built environment professionals, scientists and policymakers can and should effectively utilise the urban climate–biodiversity–wellbeing nexus of relationships to enhance the resilience of cities and communities and increase the health of ecosystems and the climate they exist within and are dependent upon.”
Nature-based urban design for wellbeing and adaptation in Oceania
DevPolicy Blog 27 June 2022
Reprinted in the Vanuatu Daily Post Tuesday June 28, 2022
‘In Oceania, both terrestrial and marine ecosystems, and the services they provide, are crucial for subsistence livelihoods, wellbeing and cultural identity, as well as for adapting to the adverse effects of climate change. How then can we address climate change, while increasing human wellbeing in Oceania? Perhaps nature-based design, where we strategically work with nature rather than against it, offers some solutions’.
NUWAO design competition launched
‘We invite design professionals and practitioners, university students, youth / rangatahi and the general public to participate in envisioning how to develop innovative nature-based urban design solutions, rooted in Indigenous knowledge that support climate change adaptation and individual and community wellbeing.’
New research looks at climate impacts on Pac urbanisation
Interview with Radio New Zealand 28 January 2021
‘The pressures of climate change on the Pacific’s cities and towns will be the focus of a new project about to get underway….’
Looking to nature to design climate-resilient cities
News article on NewsRoom Oct 30 2020
‘Aotearoa New Zealand and other Pacific Islands are at the forefront of climate change impacts affecting ecosystems and human wellbeing, so how do we adapt our cities to be more resilient and more liveable? Dr Maibritt Pedersen Zari is leading an interdisciplinary team of researchers developing an Oceania-specific form of urban design that explores how Indigenous knowledge can better prepare us for the future’…