Climate shelters as adaptive urban infrastructures – A systemic network to reduce inequalities
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.69143/2464-9309/19102026Keywords:
climate shelters, climate justice, green infrastructures, urban climate vulnerability, spatial equityAbstract
Climate change is intensifying inequalities in urban areas, affecting vulnerable populations more severely during extreme heatwaves. In this context, this article proposes a critical reinterpretation of climate shelters as permanent urban infrastructures of redistribution explicitly linked to SDG 10 (Reduce inequalities). Through a structured critical literature review, a comparative analysis of pioneering international case studies (Barcelona, Paris, Bilbao), and the experimentation conducted in Bologna within the PNRR Ecosister and TALEA projects, the research demonstrates how interconnected networks of climate shelters, conceived as relational and systemic devices integrating nature-based solutions, digital innovation, and social inclusion, can counter spatial and climate injustices, guaranteeing the right to comfort as a shared environmental right.
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Received: 10/03/2026; Revised: 15/04/2026; Accepted: 17/04/2026
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Copyright (c) 2026 Danila Longo, Rossella Roversi, Riccardo Mercuri, Beatrice Turillazzi

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