A group of researchers from Naples, Italy, want to use existing ancient waterways beneath the city to solve the city's problem with rising urban temperatures. Many cities around the world have begun to see rising temperatures as climate change continues to cause record heat waves each year.

Cool City Project

According to Quartz, the temperature in cities is typically 5.5° Celsius higher than in the surrounding areas. The abundance of heat-trapping concrete and asphalt, smog, and heat emitted from buildings and moving vehicles all contribute to a phenomenon called the "urban heat island effect."

As a result of man-made structures absorbing and retaining more heat than natural landscapes, densely populated areas typically experience warmer temperatures than more rural communities.

The urban heat island effect was one of the factors considered by this group of researchers when pushing for the initiative. Having said that, these researchers are looking for ways to reduce urban heat through the use of underground waterways, a unique strategy to address the aforementioned problem. This initiative is known as the "Cool City Project."

Cool City, according to Laboratorio Architettura Nomade or LAN, aims to recover and re-functionalize the abundant spring waters that have characterized Naples' hydro-geological history and that are now channeled into sewers or spills connected to the sea.

Waterways and Surging Heatwaves

NBCNews informs us that this team of researchers is composed of architects and design students from Italy and the United States. They are currently set on locating old aqueducts and waterways in Naples. The collaboration is geared toward mapping the said infrastructure to be able to shield urban areas of the Italian city from dangerous heat waves.

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As climate change worsens, higher urban temperatures will hit certain parts of the world harder. This scenario is expected to trigger other more concerning events, such as the occurrence of human health risks and indirect impacts on weather and climate.

Based on an article by Conserve Energy Future, people are more likely to experience general discomfort, exhaustion, heat-related mortality, respiratory issues, headaches, heat stroke, and heat cramps, which are all harmful to human health.

"Naples is historically a relatively poor city with high levels of unemployment, and it's also a place where two to three months of extreme heat are expected by the middle of this century," said Nick De Pace, an architect, and professor at the Rhode Island School of Design.

Having said that, the researchers believe Naples is one city that demands climate-resilient infrastructure. How exactly do they plan to carry out the project? The city's subterranean waterways are ancient but still functional. The team intends to recover clustered and no longer-used water to mitigate city-wide temperature increases.

According to the same NBC report, the researchers are utilizing laser-scanning technology to chart Naples' extensive aqueduct network and underground canals. The goal is to determine whether resurfacing or revitalizing these antiquated waterways could help reduce the effects of rising city temperatures.

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