Urban Climate Change Adaptation Research Articles

Spatiotemporal Land Use/Land Cover Changes and Impact on Urban Thermal Environments: Analyzing Cool Island Intensity Variations

This study pioneers the comprehensive evaluation of the spatiotemporal evolution of land use/land cover (LULC) in Hangzhou city, introducing the novel water body shape index (WBSI) to analyze its seasonal impacts on the urban thermal environment and urban cool island (UCI) effects, uncovering distinct patterns of thermal regulation. It particularly investigates how distance gradients and the water body shape index (WBSI) influence land surface temperature (LST) in the urban core. The region’s climate, featuring hot summers and cold winters, highlights significant seasonal LST variations. Addressing a gap in existing UCI research, the analysis extends beyond the typical large-scale planning focus to include small-scale, high-resolution aspects. Employing remote sensing and geographic information system (GIS) analysis techniques, this study analyzes the seasonal dynamics in Hangzhou’s central urban area. High-resolution LST data, obtained through single-channel inversion and resolution enhancement algorithms, are crucial to this analysis. This study employs the maximum likelihood classification method to analyze land use and land cover changes from 1990 to 2020. This analysis reveals potential drivers of urban thermal environment changes, such as the expansion of residential and commercial areas and the reduction in green spaces. Different regions in LST data are delineated to assess the cool island effect, and the complexity of water body boundaries is quantified using the water body shape index. Spatial and temporal patterns of LST changes are investigated using multivariate regression and time-series analysis models. We identified significant changes in LULC over the past 30 years in Hangzhou, closely correlating with a continuous rise in LST. This observation underscores a clear finding: the strategic importance of blue–green infrastructure in mitigating urban heat, a novel insight that extends the current understanding of urban thermal dynamics. A clear and novel finding of this study is that the intensity of the cool island effect from large water bodies not only diminishes with distance but is intricately influenced by the complexity of their shapes, as quantified by the WBSI, whereas the complexity of their boundaries enhances this effect. Additionally, the regulatory role of the cool island effect is observed to vary seasonally, being most pronounced in summer and less so in autumn and winter, thereby demonstrating a positive impact. In conclusion, our findings innovatively highlight how the specific shapes of water bodies, quantified through the water body shape index (WBSI), emerge as critical, yet previously underappreciated, drivers in modulating the urban thermal environment. This underscores a new avenue for urban planning, advocating for the strategic design of water bodies within urban landscapes. It also finds that spatial factors and seasonal variations significantly affect the intensity of the cool island effect. These findings offer valuable evidence for urban planning and climate change adaptation, emphasizing balancing natural elements with the built environment in urban design.

Cascading failure mechanism of major drainage system in mountainous city: Taking the basin of the main urban area of Chongqing as an example, China

Failure of major drainage systems is almost always accompanied by waterlogging. Understanding the operation and failure mechanism of major drainage systems is an important prerequisite for understanding and managing waterlogging. The natural and artificial environments in mountainous cities are more complex, and the major drainage system, as an open system for excessive surface runoff discharge and storage, is more prone to local overload and cascading failure. Existing theories and methods are difficult to explain and analyze the cascading failure characteristics and principles of major drainage systems in mountainous cities. Based on the complex network technology and the principle of runoff balance, the cascade failure model of major drainage system was constructed, and the characteristics and laws of cascade failure under six kinds of terrain, six kinds of short duration rainstorm and two kinds of surface environments were quantitatively analyzed. Research has found that the cascading failure of major drainage systems and waterlogging in mountainous cities should be the same phenomenon from different perspectives, and the simulated matching degree between the two can reach 79.5%. Meanwhile, 456 potential waterlogging locations were discovered in the study area, which is much larger than the actual 73 locations. When urban construction and rainfall conditions change, these unstable potential waterlogging locations are easily apparent. Among them, terrain is the main factor restricting the cascading failure of major drainage systems. Low lying valley areas often quickly accumulate a large amount of overflow, while flat areas are prone to overflow spreading to the surrounding areas; Slope areas are not prone to overflow, but are prone to local flooding. The change of short duration rainstorm and the difference of surface environmental openness will further interfere with the cascade failure of the major drainage system. The longer the return period of the short duration rainstorm or the increase of the peak value of the rainfall pattern, the greater the discharge and storage pressure of the major drainage system per unit time, resulting in intensified waterlogging. The open and unobstructed surface environment will lead to the small-scale spread of waterlogging, but this will significantly reduce the overall degree of waterlogging in the late rainstorm. The study revealed the spatiotemporal principles and basic laws of cascading failure of major drainage systems in mountainous cities. The conclusion is helpful for mountainous cities to formulate urban construction management strategies and climate change adaptation strategies, and to cope with current and future potential waterlogging disasters.

Assessing the Potential of AI–ML in Urban Climate Change Adaptation and Sustainable Development

This study addresses a notable gap in the climate change literature by examining the potential of artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI–ML) in urban climate change adaptation and sustainable development across major global continents. While much attention has been given to mitigation strategies, this study uniquely delves into the AI–ML’s underexplored role in catalyzing climate change adaptation in contemporary and future urban centers. The research thoroughly explores diverse case studies from Africa, Asia, Australasia, Europe, North America, and South America, utilizing a methodological framework involving six-step and five-step models for systematic literature reviews. The findings underscore AI–ML achievements, illuminate challenges, and emphasize the need for context-specific and collaborative approaches. The findings imply that a one-size-fits-all approach is insufficient. Instead, successful adaptation strategies must be intricately linked to the particular characteristics, vulnerabilities, and intricacies of each region. Furthermore, the research underscores the importance of international collaboration, knowledge sharing, and technology transfer to expedite the integration of AI–ML into climate adaptation strategies globally. The study envisions a promising trajectory for AI–ML in the climate adaptation domain, emphasizing the necessity for ongoing research, innovation, and practical AI–ML applications. As climate change remains a defining challenge, this research predicts an increasingly pivotal role for AI–ML in constructing climate-resilient urban centers and promoting sustainable development. Continuous efforts to advance AI–ML technologies, establish robust policy frameworks, and ensure universal access are crucial for harnessing AI–ML’s transformative capabilities to combat climate change consequences.

Urban ecosystem services and climate change: a dynamic interplay

Urban ecosystems play a crucial role in providing a wide range of services to their inhabitants, and their functioning is deeply intertwined with the effects of climate change. The present review explores the dynamic interplay between urban ecosystem services and climate change, highlighting the reciprocal relationships, impacts, and adaptation strategies associated with these phenomena. The urban environment, with its built infrastructure, green spaces, and diverse human activities, offers various ecosystem services that enhance the wellbeing and resilience of urban dwellers. Urban ecosystems offer regulatory services like temperature control, air quality upkeep, and stormwater management, plus provisioning like food and water. They also provide cultural benefits, promoting recreation and community unity. However, climate change poses significant challenges to urban ecosystem services. Rising temperatures, altered precipitation patterns, and increased frequency of extreme weather events can disrupt the functioning of urban ecosystems, impacting the provision of services. Heatwaves and urban heat island effects can compromise human health and energy demands, while changes in rainfall patterns can strain stormwater management systems and lead to flooding. Moreover, climate change can disrupt biodiversity and ecological processes, affecting the overall resilience and sustainability of urban ecosystems. To address these challenges, cities are adopting various adaptation strategies that recognize the interdependence between urban ecosystems and climate change. Green infrastructure interventions, such as the creation of urban parks, green roofs, and community gardens, aim to mitigate the impacts of climate change by enhancing the regulation of temperature, improving air quality, and reducing stormwater runoff. Additionally, urban planning and design approaches prioritize compact and walkable neighborhoods, promoting public transportation and reducing reliance on fossil fuels. Furthermore, engaging communities in the management of urban ecosystems and climate change adaptation measures is crucial for ensuring equitable distribution of ecosystem services and building social resilience. Therefore, the review article highlights a comprehensive understanding of the dynamic interrelationship between urban ecosystem services and climate change and their implications. By recognizing and integrating the contributions of urban ecosystems, cities can develop sustainable and resilient strategies to mitigate and adapt to climate change, ensuring the wellbeing and habitability of urban environments for present and future generations.

Climate change adaptation policy and practice: Case study of the major cities in Poland

The paper critically evaluates the urban climate change adaptation policy and practise in Central Europe using Polish cities as an example. The study focused on local policy documents and a scoring system was elaborated and applied for their analysis with particular attention to ‘green’ adaptation concepts. The link between the time of adoption and the scores received by cities' Strategies and Programmes for Environmental Protection demonstrates innovation flow from science into urban policy. We revealed that many of the proposed measures in Urban Adaptation Plans represent rather mitigation than adaptation implying substantial knowledge gaps in differentiating between them. A portfolio of projects implemented in 2014–2020 within EU funding programmes and Participatory budget was compiled with further classification into ‘green’, ‘grey’, or ‘soft’. More than 80 % of the selected projects in each of the cities were classified as ‘green’, but only one studied city demonstrated an upward trend in the number and cumulative budget of the adaptation projects. The examined Polish cities, similarly to other Central and Eastern European ones, experiencing fast economic growth have featured a profound contraction of green areas over the last decades. Partially it might be compensated by local environmental programmes that promote application of nature-based solutions.

Progress in local climate change adaptation against sea level rise: A comparison of management planning between 2013 and 2022 of Swedish municipalities

This paper uses content analysis of urban planning and guiding documents to research and evaluate relative adaptation approaches by categorising and comparing relevant indicators of progress. The scope of the paper is covering the 33 coastal municipalities that experience particularly exposure to negative consequences of climate change induced sea level rise. The findings indicate that the number of municipalities that address sea level rise has increased notably (∼43%) based on planning documents during the past ten years (2013−2022), which supports international trends of increased attention to urban climate change adaptation. Furthermore, the content analysis qualitatively shows based on a newly developed categorization the large variation in planning documents used by municipalities in terms of purpose and approach. Lastly, a comparison of the municipalities indicates that, while there are notable differences in approach and progress, municipalities with established adaptation plans are similarly structured in terms of ambition and level of detail, and could be considered frontrunners in sea level rise adaptation work. Thus, paper provides - based on a replicable and innovative method - current comparative results about progress in latest practices of planning management, relevant as a potential benchmark and/or blueprint for similar adaptation measures of urban coastal communities worldwide.

Can Managing Climate Risks Be a Catalyst for Broader Transformative Change?

This essay addresses the long-term effectiveness of urban climate change adaptation approaches, based, inter alia, on work in the C40 city network. We argue that in most cities, the dominant framing of climate risk management almost exclusively focuses on short-term incrementalities and preventive solutions directly tackling hazards, vulnerability, and exposure. This approach has serious flaws, leading to missed opportunities for longer-term sustainable urban development. Until very recently, climate science usually provided only a marginal input to long-term urban planning and design. We argue that any analysis of urban climate risk management and the associated climate services should be broadened beyond solely climate focusing on impacts. In this context, the development of positive urban visions is a key gap for both research and practice. A change is required from negatively addressing risks to positively pursuing a positive vision of attractive, resilient, and sustainable cities. The emphasis on short-term incremental solutions should shift towards long-term transformation. This embodies a paradigm shift from “function follows system” to “system follows function”. For many cities, this also means a change in procedural practice from siloed top-down to integrated, participatory urban transformation. Our main argument in this paper is that simple, longer-term sustainable urban transformation would not only reduce climate risks but also enhance overall environmental quality, economic opportunities, and social wellbeing.

Integrating public health in European climate change adaptation policy and planning

ABSTRACT The study assesses the extent to which public health is integrated into European national and urban climate change adaptation policy and planning. We analyse national adaptation documents from the 27 European Union member states and interview city-level experts (n = 17) on the integration of three categories of adaptation efforts: general efforts to minimize health impacts related to climate change, targeted efforts to enhance resilience in health systems, and supportive efforts to foster the potential of the first two categories. At a national level, general efforts to address vector-borne diseases and heat-related illness are covered comprehensively, whereas efforts addressing several climate-related health risks are neglected (e.g. water-borne diseases, injuries from extreme weather and cardiopulmonary health) or overlooked (e.g. malnutrition and mental health). Targeted efforts to inform policy decisions, such as carrying out research, risk monitoring and assessments, are often described in detail, but efforts to manage day-to-day health care delivery and emergency situations receive little attention. At the urban level, health issues receive less attention in climate adaptation policy and planning. If health topics are included, they are often described as indirect benefits of adaptation efforts in other sectors and not perceived as the priority of the involved authorities. This effectively means that general and targeted efforts are the responsibility of other sectoral departments, while supportive efforts are the responsibility of the national government or external organizations. As a result, at an urban level, climate-related health system adaptation is not a policy aim in its own right, and many potentially high health risks are being ignored. In order for health risks to be better integrated into adaptation policy and planning, it is critical to interconnect national and urban levels, reduce sectoral thinking and welcome external expertize and facilitate large-scale data collection and sharing of health and climate indicators. Key policy insights We recommend focussing on cooperatively drafting strategies for integrating health issues into climate policy and planning with stakeholders at the national and urban levels, in different policy sectors and in society. Policy planners can build on the strengths of adaptation documents from other countries or cities and take note of any weaknesses. We advocate to foster co-benefits for health and climate action of various adaptation measures (e.g. by promoting active mobility and urban greenery, health impacts related to heat, (mental and physical) stress and air pollution are reduced). Large-scale data collection and sharing of health and climate indicators should be facilitated to support learning and pro-active decision-making.

Urban surface water bodies mapping using the automatic k-means based approach and sentinel-2 imagery

Rivers, lakes, and open water bodies play crucial roles in environmental development, especially in urban ecosystems. Accurate urban surface water body maps in high resolution are an important prerequisite for better and faster decision making for urban ecosystem monitoring, mitigating the effects of urban heat islands and urban climate change adaptation. Research presents new automatic algorithm for urban surface bodies mapping (AUWM). Algorithm was tested on Sentinel-2 data and can be applied globally for automatic mapping water bodies in 10-m spatial resolution. AUWM was developed based on modified normalized difference water index, pansharpening techniques (MNDWIPS), and k-means clustering algorithm. Research was provided on three study sites. The optimal number of classes for k-means in AUWM is four. Accuracy assessment results show that AUWM is a highly accurate method for water bodies mapping, confirmed by all statistical parameters; accuracy, kappa, precision, and F1 value are 0.997, 0.830, 0.998, and 0.998, respectively.

Back to the surface – Daylighting urban streams in a Global North–South comparison

Many urban streams have vanished from the surface as a collateral effect of urban growth. Often, these buried streams have been forgotten, and only street names remind us of their existence. Reasons for stream burial include the gain of space for road or house construction or the use of stream water to transport wastewater. Today, restoration efforts to bring back fully canalized streams to the surface and to restore their stream bed (so-called daylighting) are being increasingly integrated into urban blue-green space planning, recognizing the high ecological and social value of urban streams, especially to support resilience against climate change impacts in cities. In this paper, we briefly revise the impacts of stream burial, present a series of case studies of daylighting from Europe (France, Switzerland, and Germany), and compare them with case studies from Asia (China, India, Taiwan). We found that high real estate prices, limited buffer riparian zone and resistance by the inhabitants were the greatest obstacles to stream daylighting projects. In contrast, economic gains from separating wastewater from rainwater and revival of cultural linkages with water were the strongest drivers to restore these streams. We then present methods on how to identify buried streams as candidates for daylighting and deliver criteria to select the most promising candidates. Acknowledging that each restoration project requires to be adapted to the local biophysical and local setting, we deliver a preliminary decision support system and a guideline for identifying the best candidate streams for daylighting projects, including the arguments in favor of restoration, the caveats, the social processes of decision-making, and perspectives for the integration of stream daylighting into urban climate change mitigation and adaptation concepts, in a Global North-South comparison.

Stretching or conforming? Financing urban climate change adaptation in Copenhagen

Cities worldwide are struggling to build resilience to the risks posed by climate change for their infrastructures, economies and quality of life. However, no city government has sufficient capacities to fund the adaptations required to ensure such resilience alone. Copenhagen’s efforts to secure financing for adaptation and mitigation are investigated, focusing on its innovative arrangements for funding projects to protect against extreme rainfall and flooding. A mixed-methods approach explores how municipal actors and investors accessed finance for supporting transition to a climate-adapted city. Mobilising concepts from the multilevel perspective to analyse the governance and market conditions that facilitate or impede such financing, this paper contributes to sustainable transition theory and the assessment of different funding approaches. The case study confirms the comprehensiveness and effective implementation of the city’s plans, especially its innovative financing product for adaptation to urban flooding. However, this approach has knock-on effects for tackling other climate hazards, partnerships and investment urgency. Although extreme rainfall events in 2011–13 opened a valuable ‘window of opportunity’ for change at the system landscape level, catalysing a radical shift in government policy and investment, this disruption did not elicit a commensurate response from the city’s finance sector. <em><strong>Practice relevance</strong></em> Several challenges exist for municipalities and investors when financing urban adaptation. Innovation is needed not only in technology but also in approaches to financing and investment. A key strength of Copenhagen’s adaptation approach lies in its innovative financing arrangements for funding an effective response to the risks of extreme rainfall, <em>i.e</em>. combining measures to protect against urban flooding with improvements in the urban public realm. A sustainable transition model can help guide cities in planning and funding adaptation to climate change. Recommendations include equal prioritisation by all actors of climate adaptation and mitigation; the removal of constraints on private sector participation; government engagement with a diverse set of private capital providers; experimentation with different financing mechanisms; the development of bankable adaptation projects; and efforts to monetise and unlock the value of adaptation projects.

From knowledge to action: multi-stakeholder planning for urban climate change adaptation and resilience in the Asia–Pacific

From knowledge to action: multi-stakeholder planning for urban climate change adaptation and resilience in the Asia–Pacific

Exploring the Global Research Trends of Cities and Climate Change Based on a Bibliometric Analysis

Climate change is one of the great global challenges. Cities are both drivers and responders of climate change. In recent years, the literature associated with climate change and cities has grown rapidly, but few studies have used a bibliometric analysis and visualization approach to conduct deep mining and explore the current situation and development trends of this field. By using bibliometric and text mining methods, the authors conducted a knowledge map analysis of the research on cities and climate change. Moreover, this article attempts to identify the research hotspots and research gaps in this field. The following findings are distilled. First, research in this field is rapidly emerging, and the current research distribution is extremely uneven. China and the US contributed 36% of total paper output. Second, previous research focused on six topics: Impact of Climate Change and Urbanization, Urban Climate Change Adaptation, Urban Heat Island Effect, Urban Greenhouse Emission, Urban Climate Change and Water, and Urban Energy Systems. The first two topics are currently the most popular directions of research. Third, empirical research shows positive interest in big cities, while climate change research in small and medium-sized cities has been neglected. The results of this work will not only help researchers clarify the current situation in cities and climate change science but also provide guidance for future research.

What we know and do not know about New Zealand’s urban microclimate: A critical review

Despite the remarkable contribution of urbanisation to socio-economic development, it has complicated negative impacts on the environment. The growth of urbanisation has noticeable adverse impacts on urban microclimate and parameters generating the urban heat island (UHI) effect. These impacts, exacerbated by the gradual influences of global warming over time, make urban microclimate changes more complex. The future urban development and climate change adaptation plans in New Zealand (NZ) show almost no evidence of considering the status of future urban microclimate, UHI and outdoor thermal comfort. An initial literature review showed a relatively small number of papers and grey literature on urban microclimate in NZ. This motivated the authors to explore the status of studies on the urban microclimate and the following impacts on UHI and outdoor thermal comfort in NZ. The results showed a relatively small body of knowledge on urban microclimate studies in research articles published and governmental reports in the context of NZ. Likewise, the inconsistency of research parameters and methods studied and the lack of validation in the available studies, plus the neglection of future urban development and urban morphology, limit the clarity of the scientific understanding of changes to the urban microclimate in NZ. The results of this study address the missing links and provide new insight for future studies. This study suggests providing models that consider the continuous changes to the urban microclimate considering the uncertainty of climate change impacts on weather factors such as temperature and airflow. Assessment of the impact of current and future urban morphology on UHI is necessary to develop optimised urban design guidance.

Integrating Biophysical and Economic Assessment: Review of Nature-Based Adaptation to Urban Flood Extremes

Over the last decade, the potential of nature-based solutions (NBS) has been recognized to support climate change adaptation, by promoting sustainable urban planning. Nevertheless, a wider uptake of such solutions in urban areas faces different challenges and barriers. A comprehensive mapping of available NBS impact assessment methods could help to accelerate this process. There is, however, a lack of comprehensive systematization of economic analysis. This research aims to provide an overview of NBS impact evaluations by assessing how the scientific literature integrates such economic analysis into urban planning adaptation. A systematic review approach has been used to discuss the role of NBS in climate change adaptation. This review presents two main stages. Firstly, it identifies the biophysical–economic assessment of NBS adaptation measures to reduce urban flood extremes in coastal cities. Secondly, the NBS approaches were categorized based on the biophysical benefits (in terms of flood-risk reduction) related to each specific solution and the subsequent economic evaluation of such implementations. This research review revealed a low-level gap of integration between climate change issues and NBS analysis (i.e., it is commonly used as background condition). Most publications provide NBS biophysical impacts assessment, without combining these results with economic evaluation of the flood damages to finally achieve the avoided cost due to the implementation of such solutions. This work shows the growing interest on further research to develop spatially integrated environmental–economic assessment of NBS implementation, by highlighting the needs and opportunities of a trans-disciplinary approach to support policy-making in the framework of urban climate change adaptation.

Assessing the synergies and trade-offs of development projects in response to climate change in an urban region

A synthesis of the complex relationships, including synergies and trade-offs, between urban development projects and climate change mitigation and adaptation objectives can ensure that all these relationships are taken into consideration. We used a systems approach and applied an impact matrix and chain effect analysis methods to projects in the highly urbanized Taipei metropolitan region to identify the influences and effects between urban development projects and climate change objectives. Three types of urban plans and projects were analyzed: flood control, transportation, and urban planning. The magnitudes of the influences and effects between these projects and plans were derived through interviews with experts familiar with Taipei's urban development. This pilot study found no synergy in the response to climate change mitigation and adaptation for the urban development projects analyzed. The current standalone policies and plans related to urbanization in Taipei have resulted in trade-offs for flood control and public transit projects because they contribute positively toward one climate objective but negatively impact another. A high-level policymaking mechanism that ensures coordination and collaboration between different sectors is needed to supervise sectoral policies. Prior to the approval and implementation of a plan, policymakers should request the assessment of synergies and trade-offs between plans and projects to ensure a synergistic effect to climate change issues. This study confirms that the strategy from individual sector in a metropolitan region will result in trade-off between climate change issues is a global problem. This paper also strengthens the concept that the assessment of synergy/trade-offs between policy and plans should be conducted using systemic approach.

Exploring urban growth–climate change–flood risk nexus in fast growing cities

This study looks at the nexus between urban growth, climate change, and flood risk in Doha, Qatar, a hot-spot, climate change region that has experienced unprecedented urban growth during the last four decades. To this end, this study overviews the main stages of Doha’s urban growth and influencing climatic factors during this period. A physically-based hydrological model was then built to simulate surface runoff and quantify flood risk. Finally, the Pearson correlation was used to verify the potential nexus between flood risk, climate change, and urban growth. Surveying showed that, between 1984 and 2020, urban areas grew by 777%, and bare lands decreased by 54.7%. In addition, Doha witnessed various climatic changes with a notable increase in air temperature (+ 8.7%), a decrease in surface wind speed (− 19.5%), and a decrease in potential evapotranspiration losses (− 33.5%). Growth in urban areas and the perturbation of climatic parameters caused runoff to increase by 422%, suggesting that urban growth contributed more than climatic parameters. Pearson correlation coefficient between flood risk and urban growth was strong (0.83) and significant at p < 0.05. Flood risk has a strong significant positive (negative) correlation with air temperature (wind speed) and a moderate positive (negative) correlation with precipitation (potential evapotranspiration). These results pave the way to integrate flood risk reduction measures in local urban development and climate change adaptation plans.

Spatial Heterogeneity and Attribution Analysis of Urban Thermal Comfort in China from 2000 to 2020.

Research on urban thermal environments based on thermal comfort can help formulate effective measures to improve urban thermal and human settlement environments, which is of great significance for improving urban quality, urban climate change adaptation, and sustainable development. Taking 344 municipal administrative districts in China as study areas, the Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI) of each city in the last 20 years was calculated to evaluate thermal comfort. We then analyzed the thermal comfort and spatiotemporal heterogeneity of each city during a typical heat wave. Finally, the driving forces of the potential socioeconomic, natural, and landscape factors influencing thermal comfort were analyzed using geographic detectors. The results show that the thermal comfort index had similar spatial patterns and differentiation characteristics in different years, and the interannual variation was not obvious. Cities in the typical heat wave period were mainly distributed in East and Northwest China. The driving factor in the contribution rate of the same index in different years was basically the same and was not affected by the change in years, and the highest contribution rate was the natural factor.

Analytical framework for integrating climate change mitigation and adaptation in local urban planning policy

Climate change is a multidimensional observable fact and is regarded as one of the greatest challenge human societies is facing in the 21st century. Debates on climate change advocate that urban areas not only contribute to climate change by emitting huge amounts of carbon-dioxide gas into the atmosphere, but also play a vital role in addressing climate change. This research investigates whether local urban planning policies in master plans target climate change mitigation and adaptation. Accordingly, this research undertook a qualitative content analysis of the policy framework of master plans that are involved in the sample and developed climate change mitigation indexes for all the sampled master plans by assessing urban policies against climate change mitigation evaluation protocols. This research significantly contributes to the field of urban planning and public policy by developing empirical evidence that analyzes the relationship between urban planning policies and climate change mitigation and adaptation. This research supports the use of master plans as an effective tool in mitigating and adapting to climate change and has an implication for mainstreaming climate change mitigation and adaptation in urban planning.

Everybody should contribute, but not too much: Perceptions of local governments on citizen responsibilisation in climate change adaptation in the Netherlands

AbstractArguments for so‐called citizen responsibilisation, the transfer of responsibilities for public services to citizens, are increasingly put forward in several Western‐European countries. An important domain in which citizen responsibilisation is advocated is that of urban climate change adaptation. However, in practice, the advocated shift is taking place only to a limited extent. This study aims to help explain this by researching Dutch local governments' perceptions on citizens' capabilities as well as these governments' preferences regarding the tasks they want to delegate to citizens in the different stages of adaptation planning. Findings from three workshops with policy practitioners from local governments show that these practitioners have moderate trust in citizens' capabilities, but a low willingness to transfer responsibilities. Concerns of local governments include how to: (i) ensure an equal division of resources between different citizen groups/neighbourhoods; (ii) address citizens who are pursuing their own benefits more than producing a public adaptation good; (iii) address potential externalities for other citizens; (iv) guarantee a certain quality level for the public space. The study shows that local governments have an implicit awareness of different dimensions of responsibility and the tensions between them, including at least: responsibility as a task, as a legal duty, and as something for which one can be held accountable. We recommend a more explicit discussion of these dimensions in practice and a more systematic treatment of them in conceptual and in empirical studies.