Solutions
This section provides an overview of the strategies and solutions available to adapt Hertfordshire’s built environment and infrastructure to the impacts of climate change. It presents actions relating to each of the four key risk areas of overheating, precipitation and flooding, water resources and ground conditions.
The adaptation solutions are categorised according to the key risk area and the appropriate spatial scale(s) at which each solution could be applied, (see key below).
Click on the relevant icons below to see solutions to the key risk areas, or use the links at the bottom of this page:
Precipitation
Overheating and flooding
SOLUTIONS SOLUTIONS
Pressure on
water resources Ground conditions
SOLUTIONS SOLUTIONS
Solutions have also been broadly grouped according to the risks of warmer drier summers and milder wetter winters. Click on the images below to see which adaptation solutions are appropriate to the risks of warmer drier summers and wetter milder winters:
Solutions for Warmer/Drier Solutions for Milder/Wetter
Summers Winters
Many adaptation strategies can contribute to wider policy objectives and the creation of an attractive, high quality public realm. Also, many climate change adaptation solutions are complementary and may need to be incorporated alongside each other to achieve an effective overall solution to the risk. For example, the orientation of the building can be considered alongside solar shading solutions and choice of building and landscaping materials.
Some adaptation solutions may also provide opportunities for meeting other sustianability objectives, such as tree planting and sustainable drainage or solar shading and reducing CO2 emissions. Examples of where solutions offer multiple benefits are provided within this section, along with links to other modules where appropriate.
Careful consideration is needed when designing adaptation solutions. It is important not to preclude future adaptation (e.g. by incorporating flexibility in the design) and to ensure that adaptation measures, wherever possible, do not contribute to an increase in carbon emissions. More information is provided in other Building Futures modules as appropriate.
The use of spatial scales
Spatial scales can be used to categorise development based on key design characteristics: size, function and location. The appropriateness of different adaptation strategies and solutions will vary according to these characteristics. Each of the solutions presented and discussed in this module will indicate which scale(s) it is most applicable to:
