On November 16^th, OUIK Researcher Dr. Juan spoke at the “Nature-Inspired Design for Resilience” event Thai Pavilion at COP29 in Baku Azerbaijan. Hosted at the Thailand Pavilion, the session explored the role of architecture and nature as a unique system in advancing climate resilience, focusing on sustainable design, adaptable building materials, and energy-efficient systems.

Dr. Juan shared the floor with Mr. Sarawoot Jansean-Aram and Mr. Piravit Bunyamalik (Architects, Dersyn Studio), and Prof. Kulthida Teachavorasinskun (Chulalongkorn University). The famous landscape architect and Ms. Kotchakorn Voraakhom (Chief Executive Officer, Porous City Network), moderated the discussion.

The speakers showcased strategies to create climate-responsive structures that help to reduce emissions, manage resources sustainably, promoting resilience and adaptation in urban spaces. Dr. Juan presented Japan’s perspective, focusing on Kanazawa and Noto, regions vulnerable to depopulation and natural disasters such as earthquakes and floods. He emphasized the critical role of urban nature, including traditional Japanese gardens and sacred forests, in mitigating climate change impacts, reducing urban heat, and supporting biodiversity. His suggestions included increasing green infrastructure and promoting community-led greening projects to bolster resilience against anticipated climate adversities.

After the presentations, a dialogue between the audience and the presenters highlighted key topics. These included the need for a shift in the human-nature relationship to inspire architecture aligned with natural processes, the global impact of innovative architectural materials, and the importance of designing responsive structures with long-term urban planning in mind. The audience appreciated Dr. Juan’s research-based insights, which complemented the practical perspectives of the other speakers.

From 30 November to 13 December 2023, the Conference of the Parties on Climate Change (COP28) hosted by the Secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) was held in Dubai (United Arab Emirates). This was the first COP to be held in the Middle East, which is highly vulnerable to the effects of climate change, and the main purpose of the conference was to assess the progress of parties in implementing the Paris Agreement adopted in 2015 and to set out a course of action to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions and protect life and livelihoods, to bring together Heads of State and Some 65,000 delegates, including observers, took part in the conference.

A delegation from UNU-IAS, led by Director Shinobu Yamaguchi, actively participated in side events and conferences to share research findings and promote the Institute’s thematic programme. From OUIK, Researcher Juan Pastor-Ivars attended the UNFCCC’s Resilience Frontiers Pavilion and organised three sessions on the theme of Garden Culture. These sessions discussed the benefits of gardens as urban nature, and the potential of global projects that utilize abandoned vacant lots as NbS (Nature-based Solutions), transforming them into urban solutions.

Session details:

• Traditional knowledge (8 Dec): discussed around the theme of “Ancestral Gardens.” We explored diverse cultural perspectives on gardens and urban nature through the lens of “tradition.” We introduced the IAS Biocultural Diversity Series, encouraging the audience to incorporate traditional knowledge into gardens. This session also presented findings from the Sustainable Urban Nature Project, demonstrating the benefits of traditional landscapes in biodiversity and climate change measures.
• Well-being (9 Dec): titled ‘Good Life Gardens’, this session began with an online poll on the aspects of life most valued by the audience. It then delved into the intangible benefits of close contact with nature, contrasting them with contemporary lifestyles; the IAS biocultural diversity series ‘Gardens and Artisanal Living’ and the results of a wellbeing survey in Kanazawa also further emphasised this aspect.
• Sustainability (10 Dec): highlighted the situation of depopulation and ageing in Japan and presented examples of abandoned urban spaces that have been utilised and revitalised by communities. She also introduced co-management, volunteer and eco-tourism initiatives in which residents become ‘gardeners’ of their towns. The session concluded with an AI-generated image of an ideal shared garden.

Researcher Juan Pastor Ivars from OUIK was invited to an event commemorating the 60th anniversary of the Portland Japanese Garden in Oregon from October 20th for four days. He delivered a lecture in Portland, introducing research on sustainable urban nature in Kanazawa City, emphasizing the significance of values and community in Japanese gardens. Furthermore, he discussed the spatial essence of traditional gardens in Kanazawa, the collaborative creation of new values such as biodiversity and well-being, and the importance of local community involvement in preserving these spaces.

Established in 1960 across 5 hectares, the Portland Japanese Garden has served as a cultural bridge and symbol of harmony between nations. Its diverse styles function as a platform for visitors to explore and understand Japanese culture and art, fostering harmony and understanding among local communities.

Participating in a large-scale event such as ICOMOS 2023 General Assembly allows you to exchange with experts from various disciplines working in different countries. Here, I want to share what has been discussed and the knowledge acquired regarding my topic, urban nature.

The Culture-Nature Journey

The content of the General Assembly comprised an overarching theme of ¨Heritage Changes, ¨ referring to what heritage changes in civil society, the environment, and the economy, and in what ways heritage is a force for change and integral to creating a sustainable future. The symposium was divided into four themes: Resilience, Responsibility, Rights, and Relationships, and five programs: Indigenous Heritage, Culture-Nature Journey, Heritage for Climate, Heritage as Sustainability, and Digital Heritage. These themes and programs ran parallelly but also had joint sessions and discussions with final remarks providing an overall path for the future of heritage, including cultural landscapes and urban nature. The program I mainly engaged in was the Culture-Nature Journey, a partnership created in 2016 between ICOMOS and IUCN with various partners worldwide. This program builds on the growing evidence that natural and cultural heritage are closely interconnected in most landscapes and seascapes, with a need for synergies at urban and rural settlements for the successful conservation and restoration of ecosystems. The linkage of biological and cultural diversity is vital to delivering the SDGs and responding urgently to climate change, biodiversity loss, and globalization. Our discussion and learning to overcome these challenges is summarized into Traditional Knowledge, Wellbeing, and Connecting Practices. Traditional Knowledge

Urban Nature integrates natural and cultural values that communities consolidate throughout the years, helping to sustain cultural and biological diversity. In Australia, we visited the Blue Mountains National Park; indigenous peoples explained their challenges in preserving their culture and unique ways of relating to Nature. As in Japan, gardens and sacred forests englobes enormous traditional knowledge, however being in danger. To preserve urban Nature, ICOMOS adopted the Florence Charter https://icomosjapan.org/static/homepage/charter/charter1982.pdf. establishing the rules of historic gardens maintenance, conservation, and restoration and the legal and administrative protection applicable to all historic gardens worldwide. My presentation focused on how scientific evidence of urban nature benefits can support their level of protection, and the audience discussed efficient ways to influence policymakers through research findings.

Wellbeing

Firstly, seen from the plane window and later walking through Sydney, I admired the network of parks with huge lawns and trees incorporated into their planning. What mostly surprised me was how much people enjoyed these green areas, practicing sports, conversing with friends, eating, enjoying the sun, etc. By experiencing this fact, it is clear how much urban nature benefits the citizens. In the sessions, we recognized well-being benefits, but we went further by studying how climate change, biodiversity loss, and conflict put urban nature at risk. In this discussion, we contributed by showing our latest results of the ongoing surveys on gardens on wildlife, carbon sequestration, and well-being. The audience acknowledged the relevance of gardens as a global urban solution, and the panel discussion I engaged in highlighted how gardens help understand that nature is a primary source of well-being and strengthen the communities’ resilience.

Connecting Practices

ICOMOS and IUCN are using a global platform called “Panorama” to bring together practices from around the world. This helps support long-term solutions that fit different ideas of a good life, as part of their efforts to make the Culture-Nature Journey happen. Therefore, we discussed the continuing challenges for interconnecting nature and culture and its contribution to sustainable development goals, illustrating on-ground case examples showing the benefits of this linkage, focusing on Culture-Nature links in urban areas in diverse and multicultural societies. Through my presentation, I pointed out that due to Japan’s particular context of depopulation, we understand gardens as new green heritage commons engaging citizens and tourists to ensure their future preservation.

Afterall joining the General Assembly has provided me the chance to connect my research with two vital institutions, ICOMOS and IUCN, enhancing global outreach and with previous initiatives reached, such as UNFCCC-Resilience Frontiers and UNEP being able to export Kanazawa model on Sustainable Urban Nature to the world, which is very promising.

Photograph by Kylie Christian, 2023.

From September 3rd to 9th, OUIK Research Associate Dr. Juan Pastor-Ivars assisted the General Assembly 2023 of ICOMOS in Sydney (Australia). ICOMOS, the International Council on Monuments and Sites, is a non-governmental international organization dedicated to conserving the world’s monuments and sites, offering advice to UNESCO. In Sydney, Dr. Juan Pastor-Ivars and more than 1400 experts from across the globe engaged in a complete program of lectures, workshops, and visits designed to discuss heritage perspectives with the current world concerns of sustainability, conflict, and COVID-19. Dr. Juan participated in the scientific symposium on the Nature-Culture journey, providing a presentation entitled “New Green-Heritage Commons from the Japanese Gardens in Kanazawa.” showcasing a sustainable conservation model for a group of twenty-five historic gardens in Kanazawa. The audience highlighted the relevance of gardens for human well-being and pointed out the necessity of connecting these practices at the urban level globally. Participating in the General Assembly 2023 in Sydney has been a valuable occasion for Dr. Juan to disseminate the Kanazawa urban nature model to a big audience, create new contacts, and strengthen the links between ICOMOS, IUCN, and UNU-IAS.