Capacity building vs Climate Change. A laboratory community in transition and the resilient city in the southern suburb of Reggio Calabria,

In the climate change scenario, can active transfer of knowledge to and skills empowerment of peripheral communities trigger a locally rooted transition toward an agile periphery? The ongoing project KnowledgeVsClimateChange [1] is contributing by transferring knowledge and by building competences through an urban laboratory in the southern suburb of Reggio Calabria (Italy). The laboratory is set in line with the “knowledge city” tactic by Pensando Meridiano Association (PM)[2]. The aim is to enhance local actions of climate change adaptation; therefore, global issues are locally framed through a multi-sectoral urban approach. Accordingly, the adopted strategy focuses mainly on: Urban Sustainability, Up-cycle, Circular Economy, Citizen Transition and KETs. Actions are envisaged in congruence with the SDGs: 4, 9, 11, 12, 13. The “learning by making” method is calibrated with respect to different typologies of targets: it includes training/information seminars on topics, but also direct actions for capacity building. Although this method has been proven in the specific context shown above, it still needs to be investigated if an operative transition model can be extrapolated and recontextualized in other urban contexts. For this investigation, this paper evaluates the first social impacts of the methodology by monitoring the acquisition of knowledge and skills by makers. Based on the results of this paper, it can be concluded that this methodology can contribute in structuring urban agenda programs for the built environment transition, towards the model/prototype of “agile and resilient city”.