From strategy to implementation: Mainstreaming urban green infrastructure in Austria’s spatial planning instruments for climate change adaptation

Abstract

Safeguarding existing and establishing additional urban green infrastructure (UGI) and, thus, utilising its climate regulatory services is an essential field of action for climate change adaptation (CCA) in urban areas. In particular, safeguarding and improving UGI on private land in mostly residential areas is a central lever for adaptation as a focus solely on public land – typically roads, squares and parks – would address only a small share of urban areas. For many years, CCA has had a strategic focus on the provision of ecosystem services (ESS) through UGI, and spatial planning has been assigned a pivotal role in its implementation. Both, establishing and safeguarding UGI, however, encounters obstacles in planning practice. In fact, a degradation and loss of UGI can be observed in many Austrian cities. The research therefore aims to elaborate to what degree Austrian spatial planning policies integrate UGI for effective CCA and which implementation obstacles exist. Based on a climate proofing framework, the study utilises a policy analysis, a dogmatic legal analysis as well as expert interviews to better understand the implementation constraints.The results show that four barriers prevent safeguarding and establishing UGI for CCA on private land in Austria: (i) lack of an explicit political target setting for spatial planning on all policy levels; (ii) lack of legal obligation for spatial planning authorities to take action; (iii) lack of reliable indicators for analysing, controlling and monitoring UGI; (iv) lack of legally binding instruments which govern UGI on private land. Adapting regulatory framework conditions for spatial planning by imposing a general legal obligation on municipalities to integrate UGI planning in spatial planning and foster implementation, can improve UGI implementation on private plots in residential areas. The establishment of a link between the ESS approaches with the statutory spatial planning instruments especially at the level of development plans is necessary and a prerequisite to effectively enhance CCA through the use of ESS of UGI. Potential improvements would need to address all four barriers and establish a consistent implementation pathway. In doing so, green area indicators can help to inform individual development decisions and to monitor and control UGI in general.