How actors are (dis)integrating policy agendas for multi-functional blue and green infrastructure projects on the ground

Abstract

Local governments are increasingly considering blue and green infrastructure (BGI) in order to climate-proof cities. Because BGI can have multiple benefits beyond climate adaptation, policy integration is required. Since drainage services have traditionally been within the remit of a single department, this is new territory for water management. This article provides a dynamic perspective on the messy process of policy integration 'on the ground' in two BGI projects in Dordrecht, NL and Bradford, UK. Drawing on interviews with key actors involved in the cases, our research question is: How are ambitions to integrate policies resulting in multifunctional BGI projects? While previous research typically defines organisational structures as barriers for policy integration, our findings demonstrate instances of actors who are successfully navigating these structures as a route towards policy integration. Nevertheless, we found that actors who push for BGI lack resources and authority, so they mainly rely on more voluntary forms of policy integration that involve concerted action over a number of years. Overall, our cases demonstrate that space for policy integration exists and powerful agencies are sympathetic to this, but more support is needed to achieve this mandate.

Enabling Nature-Based Solutions to Build Back Better—An Environmental Regulatory Impact Analysis of Green Infrastructure in Ontario, Canada

“…Although the benefits of green infrastructure are recognized, the pace of mainstream uptake has been slow due to upfront costs for design and construction, and conservation of natural systems [ 14 ]. Additional barriers to implementation include patchy regulatory frameworks, lack of community engagement, and the perception of green infrastructure as a principally stormwater management tool [ 9 , 10 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 ].…”

“…As previously noted, the benefits of green infrastructure are well-established, however, mainstream implementation has been slow due to upfront design-build and land conservation costs [ 14 ]. Other implementation barriers include patchy regulatory frameworks, lack of community engagement, and a focus on green infrastructure for stormwater management [ 9 , 10 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 ]. Previous green infrastructure policy research has focused primarily on policy integration, stakeholder engagement, financing models; or project implementation [ 22 , 23 , 61 , 62 , 63 , 64 , 65 ].…”

“…Other implementation barriers include patchy regulatory frameworks, lack of community engagement, and a focus on green infrastructure for stormwater management [ 9 , 10 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 ]. Previous green infrastructure policy research has focused primarily on policy integration, stakeholder engagement, financing models; or project implementation [ 22 , 23 , 61 , 62 , 63 , 64 , 65 ]. While this work holds significant value, to achieve greater uptake of green infrastructure, it is essential to understand the individual policy instruments that enable its implementation, how they function, and the environmental outcomes they are designed to achieve.…”

The Use of Collaborative Practices for Climate Change Adaptation in the Tourism Sector until 2040—A Case Study in the Porto Metropolitan Area (Portugal)

“…The climate crisis has become the central theme of the various political agendas, which caused different projects of varying scale to emerge (e.g., the Glasgow Declaration, the New European Bauhaus, Recommendations for the Transition to a Green Travel and Tourism Economy). Many of the countries have begun to work on carbon neutrality targets and regional and municipal entities have now included objectives based on "green" and "blue" infrastructures in regulations and municipal strategies, under actions of "renaturalization" of the city (renaturalization of watercourses, pedestrianization and afforestation) [89,90].…”

Understanding the Institutional Work of Boundary Objects in Climate-Proofing Cities: The Case of Amsterdam Rainproof

“…They can also extend to trans-local networks, such as the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group and the Asian Cities Climate Change Resilience Network (Fünfgeld, 2015). These networks arise because knowledge, resources, and expertise for urban climate adaptation (and broader goals) are fragmented among stakeholders from different domains (Wamsler et al, 2020;Willems et al, 2021). Collaboration between these stakeholders has proven difficult due to competing interests, lack of information, resource constraints, and misaligned institutional frameworks (Measham et al, 2011;Uittenbroek et al, 2013;Oseland, 2019;Birchall et al, 2022).…”