Localised decarbonisation pathways for citizens, local administrations and businesses to inform for mitigation and adaptation action

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Quality of urban climate adaptation plans over time

Publication . Reckien, Diana; Buzási, Attila; Olazabal, Marta; Spyridaki, Niki-Artemis; Eckersley, Peter; Simoes, Sofia; Salvia, Monica; Pietrapertosa, Filomena; Fokaides, Paris; Goonesekera, Sascha M.; Tardieu, Léa; Balzan, Mario V.; de Boer, Cheryl L.; Hurtado, Sonia De Gregorio; Feliu, Efren; Flamos, Alexandros; Foley, Aoife; Geneletti, Davide; Grafakos, Stelios; Heidrich, Oliver; Ioannou, Byron I.; Krook-Riekkola, Anna; Matosović, Marko; Orru, Hans; Orru, Kati; Paspaldzhiev, Ivan; Rižnar, Klavdija; Smigaj, Magdalena; Csete, Mária; Viguie, Vincent; Wejs, Anja

ABSTRACT: Defining and measuring progress in adaptation are important questions for climate adaptation science, policy, and practice. Here, we assess the progress of urban adaptation planning in 327 European cities between 2005 and 2020 using three 'ADAptation plan Quality Assessment' indices, called ADAQA-1/ 2/ 3, that combine six plan quality principles. Half of the cities have an adaptation plan and its quality significantly increased over time. However, generally, plan quality is still low in many cities. Participation and monitoring and evaluation are particularly weak aspects in urban adaptation policy, together with plan 'consistency'. Consistency connects impacts and vulnerabilities with adaptation goals, planned measures, actions, monitoring and evaluation, and participation processes. Consistency is a key factor in the overall quality of plans. To help evaluate the quality of plans and policies and promote learning, we suggest incorporating our ADAptation plan Quality Assessment indices into the portfolio of adaptation progress assessments and tracking methodologies.

2023-03Journal article

Open access

European patterns of local adaptation planning : a regional analysis

Publication . Buzási, Attila; Simoes, Sofia; Salvia, Monica; Eckersley, Peter; Geneletti, Davide; Pietrapertosa, Filomena; Olazabal, Marta; Wejs, Anja; Hurtado, Sonia De Gregorio; Spyridaki, Niki-Artemis; Csete, Mária; Torres, Efrén Feliu; Rižnar, Klavdija; Heidrich, Oliver; Grafakos, Stelios; Reckien, Diana

ABSTRACT: While European regions face a range of different climate hazards, little is known about how these differences affect local climate adaptation planning. We present an analytical framework for evaluating local climate adaptation plans (LCAPs) and apply it to 327 cities in 28 countries across different European regions. To do this, we use statistical methods to identify regional clusters based on overall plan quality, impacts, vulnerable population groups, and sectors addressed by LCAPs. By comparing both geographic and statistical clusters, we found (1) significant spatial heterogeneity across European cities but (2) higher average plan quality scores and more consistent strategies across cities in Central and Eastern Europe. Notably, we found no regional differences regarding (a) the climate impacts and vulnerable communities identified in plans: (b) the most commonly addressed impacts, which were urban temperature and changing precipitation patterns; and (c) the residents that cities identified as most vulnerable, namely older people, women, infants, and the sick. Our study provides a spatial analysis of European LCAPs to uncover regional policy perspectives on local climate adaptation issues. Such approaches can effectively inform broader EU, national and regional strategies that aim to support local adaptation planning in a context of multi-level governance.

2024-04Journal article

Open access