Urban Environmental Acupuncture for Climate Adaptation of Existing Dense Urban Fabric

The concept of urban environmental acupuncture proposes introducing small green areas in a systematic way in impervious urban areas, where it is difficult to save large areas for greenery. It assumes that sustainability and climate resistance can be improved by providing nature-based solutions and linked within the system of green–blue infrastructure. These can be elements of architecture (green walls, roofs, canopies, etc.) as well as of open space. The concept of urban environmental acupuncture aligns with several of the SDGs, including SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), as well as SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation), SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), SDG 13 (Climate Action), and SDG 15 (Life on Land). This research paper explores the concept of green urban acupuncture in more detail, examining its key principles and examples of its application based on authors’ experiences in the Interreg project SALUTE4CE. The project aimed at establishing pilot strategies for urban environmental acupuncture in Central-European cities. The author was responsible for elaborating the Action Plan for the functional area of Chorzów, Ruda Śląska, and Świętochłowice, located in Upper Silesia, Poland. The project aimed at selecting spots with optimal potential outcomes in terms of sustainability, reducing urban heat islands and improving comfort and quality of spaces, with a range of nature-based solutions: from planting climate-resistant vegetation and restoring biodiversity, through improving local retention, to green roofs or vertical walls. The paper will consider potential benefits and challenges of this approach and discuss how it might be implemented in the future as a means of addressing the complex sustainability challenges facing impervious urban areas today, in relation to UN SDGs.