Property Developers and Urban Adaptation: Conceptual and Empirical Perspectives on Governance

Abstract

Adaptation to climate change in urban areas requires public and private actors to engage in governance of complex problems in conditions of uncertainty. The property development ‘industry’ consists of diverse private actors with considerable financial, political or technical resources. However, there is no empirical research to date on the potential contribution of these actors, and particularly property developers, to climate adaptation, in terms of their preferences, capabilities and perceptions. This article reports on findings from a survey of, and discussions with, Australian property developers, their representative industry bodies, and technical and advisory service providers to developers. Amongst other themes, we focus here on: participation and capacity; effectiveness of current polices; risks and opportunities; and cost-sharing considerations as perceived by these groups. Results indicate that developers and their interest groups are seeking greater levels of participation and joint decision-making in public-adaptation policy and its implementation. The results also suggest that while developers and their service providers recognise a shift towards greater levels of responsibility and cost sharing for adaptation, perceptions of operational ambiguities and financial risks hinder progress in this area. Given this, the authors point to the need to further examine the potential of new deliberative arenas that can balance and complement existing regulatory controls in the governance of urban adaptation.