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“We drive until the last vehicle is stuck”: how resilient is Hamburg’s public transport system to climate change effects?

Aberle, Christoph LU (2015) In Master Thesis Series in Environmental Studies and Sustainability Science MESM02 20151
LUCSUS (Lund University Centre for Sustainability Studies)
Abstract
Climate change consequences are forecasted to severely affect urban life. Already in the past years, extreme events such as heat-waves, cloudbursts, and storm surges have strained cities’ infrastructures and inhabitants.
In this thesis, I investigate the impact of extreme weather events on Public Transport (PT) in Hamburg/Germany. As a framework I apply the resilience concept with the four key dimensions Anticipation, Reaction, Monitoring, and Learning. By evaluating policy documents and seven qualitative PT stakeholder interviews, I assess the current system’s resilience as well as chances for and barriers to resilience building. By applying the resilience concept to the PT system in Germany’s second-largest city, I investigate how a... (More)
Climate change consequences are forecasted to severely affect urban life. Already in the past years, extreme events such as heat-waves, cloudbursts, and storm surges have strained cities’ infrastructures and inhabitants.
In this thesis, I investigate the impact of extreme weather events on Public Transport (PT) in Hamburg/Germany. As a framework I apply the resilience concept with the four key dimensions Anticipation, Reaction, Monitoring, and Learning. By evaluating policy documents and seven qualitative PT stakeholder interviews, I assess the current system’s resilience as well as chances for and barriers to resilience building. By applying the resilience concept to the PT system in Germany’s second-largest city, I investigate how a sustainability science concept translates to a practical context and how this practical application relates to sustainability goals.
Hamburg’s PT system has already been affected by extreme weather, particularly by storm and flooding. So far, the short-term adaptation has been successful, as operators could respond to and learn from adverse incidents. Although they do not explicitly refer to them in their daily practice, most interviewees are familiar with resilience concepts. However, there is no strategic tool of monitoring and evaluating extreme events and forecasting challenges. Overall, the key dimensions Reaction and Learning are satisfied, whereas Anticipation and Monitoring are not.
A major chance for adaptation is timely mainstreaming of resilience properties into existing processes; Barriers are financial constraints, and a lack of political awareness. To overcome the barriers, I recommend a cross-sector adaptation strategy for Hamburg’s PT system hosted by HVV as the PT association.
Most of the interviewed stakeholders do not expect social inequality as a result of adaptation. However, it cannot be ruled out that resilience building, embedded into a neo-liberal agenda, happens at the cost of marginalized people. Framed in the Brundlandt Sustainable Development taxonomy, the social sustainability dimension needs to be further investigated. (Less)
Abstract (German)
Die Auswirkungen des Klimawandels werden das Leben in der Stadt voraussichtlich ernstlich beeinflussen. Bereits in den letzten Jahren haben Extremereignisse wie Hitzewellen, Starkregenfälle und Sturmfluten urbane Infrastrukturen und Einwohnende stark belastet.
In dieser Arbeit untersuche ich den Einfluss von Extremwetter-Ereignissen auf den Öffentlichen Personennahverkehr (ÖPNV) in Hamburg. Als Rahmen wende ich das Konzept der Resilienz mit den vier Schlüsselfunktionen Vorhersage, Reaktion, Monitoring und Lernen an. Auf der Grundlage sieben qualitativer Stakeholder-Interviews und sektorspezifischer Publikationen bewerte ich die derzeitige Resilienz des Systems sowie Chancen und Barrieren für Resilience Building. Indem ich das... (More)
Die Auswirkungen des Klimawandels werden das Leben in der Stadt voraussichtlich ernstlich beeinflussen. Bereits in den letzten Jahren haben Extremereignisse wie Hitzewellen, Starkregenfälle und Sturmfluten urbane Infrastrukturen und Einwohnende stark belastet.
In dieser Arbeit untersuche ich den Einfluss von Extremwetter-Ereignissen auf den Öffentlichen Personennahverkehr (ÖPNV) in Hamburg. Als Rahmen wende ich das Konzept der Resilienz mit den vier Schlüsselfunktionen Vorhersage, Reaktion, Monitoring und Lernen an. Auf der Grundlage sieben qualitativer Stakeholder-Interviews und sektorspezifischer Publikationen bewerte ich die derzeitige Resilienz des Systems sowie Chancen und Barrieren für Resilience Building. Indem ich das Resilienzkonzept auf den ÖPNV in Deutschlands zweitgrößter Stadt anwende, ergründe ich, wie ein Konzept aus den Nachhaltigkeitswissenschaften in einen praktischen Zusammenhang übertragen werden kann und wie es sich gegenüber Nachhaltigkeitszielen verhält.
Hamburgs ÖPNV-System ist bereits von Extremwetter betroffen gewesen, insbesondere von Sturm- und Flutereignissen. Bis jetzt war die kurzfristige Anpassung erfolgreich, nachdem ÖPNV-Betreiber auf negative Ereignisse reagieren und von ihnen lernen konnten. Obwohl sie im operativen Alltag nicht explizit auf die Idee der Resilienz zurückgreifen, arbeiten die meisten Interviewpartner mit Teilelementen. Sie verfügen allerdings nicht über ein strategisches Werkzeug, um Extremwetter-Ereignisse zu überwachen und auszuwerten und Herausforderungen vorherzusagen. Insgesamt werden die Schlüsselfunktionen Reaktion und Lernen umgesetzt, wohingegen Vorhersage und Monitoring nicht erfüllt werden.
Eine wesentliche Chance für die Klimawandel-Anpassung ist ein rechtzeitiges ‚Mainstreaming’ von Resilienzfunktionen in existierende und neue Infrastruktur und Prozesse; Barrieren sind mangelnde finanzielle Ressourcen und ein Mangel an Bewusstsein auf Seiten der politischen Entscheider. Um den ÖPNV an Klimawandelfolgen anzupassen, schlage ich eine sektorübergreifende Strategie vor, die vom HVV als Vertreter der Aufgabenträger angeleitet wird.
Die Betreiber erwarten keine negative Auswirkung der Klimawandel-Anpassung in Form sozialer Ungleichheit. Es kann allerdings nicht ausgeschlossen werden, dass Resilience Building, eingebettet in eine neoliberale Agenda, auf Kosten einkommensschwacher Menschen geschieht. Ausgedrückt in der Brundlandt-Taxonomie der Nachhaltigen Entwicklung, ist Forschung in der Dimension der Sozialen Nachhaltigkeit angebracht. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Aberle, Christoph LU
supervisor
organization
course
MESM02 20151
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
sustainability science, adaptation, Hamburg, climate change, urban, resilience, public transport, public transit
publication/series
Master Thesis Series in Environmental Studies and Sustainability Science
report number
2015:023
language
English
id
7369848
date added to LUP
2015-06-26 10:05:00
date last changed
2015-06-26 10:05:00
@misc{7369848,
  abstract     = {{Climate change consequences are forecasted to severely affect urban life. Already in the past years, extreme events such as heat-waves, cloudbursts, and storm surges have strained cities’ infrastructures and inhabitants. 	
In this thesis, I investigate the impact of extreme weather events on Public Transport (PT) in Hamburg/Germany. As a framework I apply the resilience concept with the four key dimensions Anticipation, Reaction, Monitoring, and Learning. By evaluating policy documents and seven qualitative PT stakeholder interviews, I assess the current system’s resilience as well as chances for and barriers to resilience building. By applying the resilience concept to the PT system in Germany’s second-largest city, I investigate how a sustainability science concept translates to a practical context and how this practical application relates to sustainability goals.
Hamburg’s PT system has already been affected by extreme weather, particularly by storm and flooding. So far, the short-term adaptation has been successful, as operators could respond to and learn from adverse incidents. Although they do not explicitly refer to them in their daily practice, most interviewees are familiar with resilience concepts. However, there is no strategic tool of monitoring and evaluating extreme events and forecasting challenges. Overall, the key dimensions Reaction and Learning are satisfied, whereas Anticipation and Monitoring are not.
A major chance for adaptation is timely mainstreaming of resilience properties into existing processes; Barriers are financial constraints, and a lack of political awareness. To overcome the barriers, I recommend a cross-sector adaptation strategy for Hamburg’s PT system hosted by HVV as the PT association.
Most of the interviewed stakeholders do not expect social inequality as a result of adaptation. However, it cannot be ruled out that resilience building, embedded into a neo-liberal agenda, happens at the cost of marginalized people. Framed in the Brundlandt Sustainable Development taxonomy, the social sustainability dimension needs to be further investigated.}},
  author       = {{Aberle, Christoph}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  series       = {{Master Thesis Series in Environmental Studies and Sustainability Science}},
  title        = {{“We drive until the last vehicle is stuck”: how resilient is Hamburg’s public transport system to climate change effects?}},
  year         = {{2015}},
}