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

Abstract

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.

A triple whammy: how urban heat, housing unaffordability and disadvantage affect urban spatial resilience

“…There was once an understanding that cities are places of consumption and production, resulting in the replacement of the natural landscape. There is now an increasing awareness that cities could and should be part of the solution to mitigate climate impacts and enhance overall sustainability (Swart et al, 2023). Our framework for building urban climate resilience incorporates facets of urban resilience, social stresses that amplify crises, and solutions that strengthen individuals and communities with coping abilities to withstand climate events.…”

“…This framework has practical relevance due to the increasing awareness that cities could play an essential part in guiding global urban adaptation thinking going forward, as cities have a longstanding tradition of adaptation. Cities are also known for their context-based approaches, embracing their geographical context, and accordingly dealing with their unique climate change effects and challenges (Swart et al, 2023). The nature of cities depends on aspects such as climate zones (EEA, 2020), and their landscape system (Timmermans et al, 2015).…”

“…Socio-economic, cultural, and regulatory characteristics then determine their vulnerability. The geographical and socio-economic context of each city thus relates to unique climate change effects and therefore their approach to climate adaptation should be mostly context-specific (Swart et al, 2023). Climate resilience, on the urban scale, thus also implies a multi-disciplinary preparedness of the city where social, economic, and physical infrastructure culminates into a unified framework (Gunderson and Holling, 2002).…”

When, at what speed, and how? Resilient transformation of the Vesdre river basin (Belgium) following the 2021 floods

“…Fifth, applying cyclical adaptation: embedding a plan for flexibility supported by monitoring and evaluation. Cyclical adaptation is essential because there are many uncertainties about what the future will look like and what type of solutions and climate risk data will then be available [32]. Cyclical adaptation involves an adaptive plan that connects the present to possible futures via choices of adaptative strategies and identification of tipping points showing until which threshold a strategy may be robust [33].…”