Page 46 - link magazine

VIEWPOINT: Richard Pagett
A snow centre for Swindon. But is it resiliant?

What a brilliant idea! What with
hotels, retail outlets, entertainment
arena and a ski slope, this should
be a real kick-start to energise a
town centre, but, there are major
problems. The question is, does it
meet resiliance requirements?
This project needs incredibly care-
ful planning and expertise. Raising
cash and pouring concrete is
fairly straightforward but designing
infrastructure for resilience into the
future is hard, very hard.
If not finessed carefully then all
one is doing today is adding straw We all know that the last few The density of our population ion the wall is not on everyone’s
to the camel’s back. When we do climate change summits (at the means that most have to live in wall just yet. The best we can do,
not take the future into account end of each year) have all been cities and towns. This could be the given all the constraints, is that all
today, then that is unsustainable - promising to figure out a deal to best way of gaining economy of new infrastructure has to be de-
and becomes a big no, no. cut greenhouse gas emissions so scale in terms of emission reduc- signed with resilience in mind. It is
Understanding how to build that global overall temperatures do tion, current housing, food, water, no longer acceptable to burden the
resilience in cities is arguably one not exceed an additional 2 degrees waste and energy. future with our energy consumption
of the defining challenges of the threshold. Unfortunately, current policies attitudes.
21st Century. Urban populations are The problem, of course, is that are just too unsophisticated to So let’s welcome the snow dome
exploding and urban centres are as the world leaders tussle with accomplish that. Arguably, we can but it needs to be designed with
vulnerable. that challenge, we are, the world only do so much with food, housing, a minimum carbon footprint,
But how can we build resilience over, adding to the problem each cars, waste and so on as these are emission-free and zero waste as far
in the context of complex and mas- day with everything we do. We are basic requirements, and we cannot as possible, taking responsibility for
sively divergent urban tapestries? still moving food around, heating all go and live in a cave. all the emissions of the thousands
We need to unpack the enormous water, driving cars, building houses There are simply not enough caves of cars driven to the attractions,
opportunities that exist for stimu- as if it was still 1970. That is to be to go around anyway. and of course, it needs to generate
lating resilient development. expected. But the elephant in the room is emission-free energy from, for
entertainment. Entertainment is example, solar panels and heat
discretionary though an important pumps. It needs to use all the latest
part of the human condition. We innovative materials and concepts.
have been sitting around open Quite simply and unequivocally,
fires listening to storytellers for it needs to be (from what we have
thousands of years. been told so far) considerably better
In modern times entertainment than it is.
has become ever more sophisticated If not, Swindon’s entertainment
and energy-consumptive. Some driven regeneration will simply be
entertainment can have low carbon another headstone in the Cemetery
footprints, but Formula 1, Premier of Lost Chances and a reckless
League, badminton (in fact most embarrassment.
sports) have larger or smaller energy • Dr Richard Paget, who lives in
penalties, not to mention snow Purton, is an international expert
domes. on resilience and thinker on the
So where do we draw the line? critical global issues of our time,
Society will decide that, though connecting their importance with
probably not soon. Yet, the writing activities at a local level

Prize winner
DJ McGhee ran a competition
in the April Link to win a copy
of his debut illustrated story
‘Space Invaders!
On offer was a signed copy
of his book and a signed and
framed print of one of his
pictures that appear in it, as
well as an Easter egg
The winner was seven year
old Lauren Winley who attends
Haydon Wick Primary School
who is pictured with DJ.
Find out more about the
author and upcoming books on
Facebook: DJ McGhee
46 swindonlink.com n July 2015