A Snapshot of Climate Change Adaptation Efforts in American Urban Planning & Development
(2019) VBRM15 20191Division of Risk Management and Societal Safety
- Abstract
- To understand how American cities “walk the talk” regarding climate change adaptation, the question “What effect do American city-wide adaptation efforts have on urban development trends?” is posed. The method covers the breadth and depth of the subject by studying the overall national climate discourse and utilizing three major American cities as case studies. Findings confirm adaptation efforts are minimally implemented within urban development but illuminate the opportunity urban development has in mobilizing citywide climate resilience.
- Popular Abstract
- American cities are taking the lead in integrating climate-smart initiatives through citywide climate action plans. However, as climate change adaptation is still in its infancy within the United States, research has mostly centered on the discourse in climate action plans and formulation. Questions are left unanswered regarding gaps between plans, policy, and practice, specifically on the topic of adaptation implementation. To pioneer understanding on how adaptation is embraced in the United States, the research investigates how cities embrace adaptation through the question, “What effect do American city-wide adaptation efforts have on urban development trends?”
The research employs a method that combines scoping, quantitative,... (More) - American cities are taking the lead in integrating climate-smart initiatives through citywide climate action plans. However, as climate change adaptation is still in its infancy within the United States, research has mostly centered on the discourse in climate action plans and formulation. Questions are left unanswered regarding gaps between plans, policy, and practice, specifically on the topic of adaptation implementation. To pioneer understanding on how adaptation is embraced in the United States, the research investigates how cities embrace adaptation through the question, “What effect do American city-wide adaptation efforts have on urban development trends?”
The research employs a method that combines scoping, quantitative, qualitative, GIS and discourse analyses to examine the relationship between adaptation and urban development, all while highlighting the value urban development has in mobilizing adaptation. Conceptually, the method is two-tiered, simulating a funnel. The first half analyses the landscape of American adaptation efforts, while simultaneously identifying the most appropriate case studies based on qualifiers necessary to conduct the second half of the funnel, an in-depth case analysis of the cities of Los Angeles, Seattle and Washington, D.C.
Findings of the research suggest adaptation efforts have a minimal impact on urban development trends. The research also finds urban developments hold a great amount of opportunity to employ adaptation techniques. In studying the discourse of urban developments, a disparity was found between measures that imply risk-reduction strategies without reference to a particular climate-related hazard (implicit) and measures that express direct intent to reduce climate change-related hazards through strategies that have the purpose to curb risk (explicit). The disparity between “implicit” and “explicit” findings demonstrate developments can and have employed strategies, but tend to not do so in a direct manner specific to addressing climate-related hazards. However, this gap also highlights the potential urban developments have in mobilizing relevant adaptation efforts forward within the built environment.
The purpose of the research pushes the discussion on adaptation further by questioning how adaptation can be transformed from formulation to implementation, particularly on a physically feasible level that is urban development. More research on this topic is recommended, particularly regarding multi-sectoral discussions within the urban development and adaptation processes, other ways to study how the urban scale embraces adaptation, as well as refining and applying the method utilized in this research to other cities. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/8986756
- author
- Carter, Eliisa LU
- supervisor
-
- Mo Hamza LU
- organization
- course
- VBRM15 20191
- year
- 2019
- type
- H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
- subject
- keywords
- climate change adaptation, urban development, urban planning, land use planning, United States of America, risk reduction, sustainable design, hazard mitigation
- language
- English
- id
- 8986756
- date added to LUP
- 2019-06-24 10:03:09
- date last changed
- 2019-06-24 10:03:09
@misc{8986756,
abstract = {{To understand how American cities “walk the talk” regarding climate change adaptation, the question “What effect do American city-wide adaptation efforts have on urban development trends?” is posed. The method covers the breadth and depth of the subject by studying the overall national climate discourse and utilizing three major American cities as case studies. Findings confirm adaptation efforts are minimally implemented within urban development but illuminate the opportunity urban development has in mobilizing citywide climate resilience.}},
author = {{Carter, Eliisa}},
language = {{eng}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
title = {{A Snapshot of Climate Change Adaptation Efforts in American Urban Planning & Development}},
year = {{2019}},
}