Implementation of Green Infrastructure Principles in Dubrovnik, Croatia to Minimize Climate Change Problems

Abstract

Increasing development pressure on the Croatian coastal zone has lead to environmental degradation due to a lack of appropriate strategies and policies in promoting well-planned and managed urban areas. Research has shown that six coastal cities have been facing problems connected with climate change (storm waters, floods, soil erosion and urban heath). Key elements of urban sustainability, in spatial context, are based on a balanced relationship between built and open urban spaces on one hand and connectivity between urban open spaces and between such spaces and surrounding landscapes at the regional scale (principles of urban green infrastructure). Detailed research based on comparative analysis shows that ecological problems have to do with unbalanced urban morphology in Dubrovnik (disappearance of green areas as absorptive surfaces and loss of connectivity). The findings offer a possible conceptual solution on applying the principles of green infrastructure, where the preservation and linkage of ecologically valuable green areas within urban fabric is crucial. These areas are planned as multifunctional spaces; they are important for biodiversity, urban morphology, and urban social life, as well as for mitigating the consequences of climate change.