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From Risk Governance to City-Citizen Collaboration: Capitalizing on Individual Adaptation to Climate Change

Wamsler, Christine LU (2016) In Environmental Policy and Governance 26(3). p.184-204
Abstract
Urban societies are increasingly affected by climatic variability and extremes. In theory, adaptation policy creates the conditions needed to support autonomous adaptation – or deliver public adaptation if autonomous adaptation fails to develop. However, little attention has been given to autonomous adaptation by private households and individuals, and how it is taken into account in cities’ strategic adaptation planning. Against this background, this paper examines the synergies between measures taken by city authorities and citizens, and, more specifically, how public adaptation planning enhances or inhibits private (individual) adaptation. Based on a literature review and an in-depth study of German municipalities, existing types of... (More)
Urban societies are increasingly affected by climatic variability and extremes. In theory, adaptation policy creates the conditions needed to support autonomous adaptation – or deliver public adaptation if autonomous adaptation fails to develop. However, little attention has been given to autonomous adaptation by private households and individuals, and how it is taken into account in cities’ strategic adaptation planning. Against this background, this paper examines the synergies between measures taken by city authorities and citizens, and, more specifically, how public adaptation planning enhances or inhibits private (individual) adaptation. Based on a literature review and an in-depth study of German municipalities, existing types of city–citizen interaction are systematized. The results show that targeted city–citizen collaboration for climate change adaptation is practically non-existent. City authorities rarely pay sufficient attention to financial and structural aid for individual adaptation. Conversely, the available municipal support for individual adaptation has little take-up by members of the public. Furthermore, urban policy and planning often counteract collaboration and the implementation of measures that meet citizens’ capacities and needs. The paper concludes that improving city–citizen collaboration for adaptation co-production is an important step in fostering transformative adaptation, if the barriers and driving forces identified in the study are addressed. The framework that is presented advances theory on city–citizen interactions for adaptation co-production, providing a basis for related analyses, action and further research. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Environmental Policy and Governance
volume
26
issue
3
pages
21 pages
publisher
Wiley-Blackwell
external identifiers
  • scopus:84975268056
  • wos:000379232900004
ISSN
1756-9338
DOI
10.1002/eet.1707
project
Increasing Societies´ Adaptive Capacities to Climate Change: Distributed Urban Risk Governance for Achieving Sustainable Transformation and Resilience of Cities.
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
d4a9576e-6827-4070-aeab-58f1dc172bc8
date added to LUP
2016-06-21 15:34:46
date last changed
2022-04-24 08:17:13
@article{d4a9576e-6827-4070-aeab-58f1dc172bc8,
  abstract     = {{Urban societies are increasingly affected by climatic variability and extremes. In theory, adaptation policy creates the conditions needed to support autonomous adaptation – or deliver public adaptation if autonomous adaptation fails to develop. However, little attention has been given to autonomous adaptation by private households and individuals, and how it is taken into account in cities’ strategic adaptation planning. Against this background, this paper examines the synergies between measures taken by city authorities and citizens, and, more specifically, how public adaptation planning enhances or inhibits private (individual) adaptation. Based on a literature review and an in-depth study of German municipalities, existing types of city–citizen interaction are systematized. The results show that targeted city–citizen collaboration for climate change adaptation is practically non-existent. City authorities rarely pay sufficient attention to financial and structural aid for individual adaptation. Conversely, the available municipal support for individual adaptation has little take-up by members of the public. Furthermore, urban policy and planning often counteract collaboration and the implementation of measures that meet citizens’ capacities and needs. The paper concludes that improving city–citizen collaboration for adaptation co-production is an important step in fostering transformative adaptation, if the barriers and driving forces identified in the study are addressed. The framework that is presented advances theory on city–citizen interactions for adaptation co-production, providing a basis for related analyses, action and further research.}},
  author       = {{Wamsler, Christine}},
  issn         = {{1756-9338}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{3}},
  pages        = {{184--204}},
  publisher    = {{Wiley-Blackwell}},
  series       = {{Environmental Policy and Governance}},
  title        = {{From Risk Governance to City-Citizen Collaboration: Capitalizing on Individual Adaptation to Climate Change}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/eet.1707}},
  doi          = {{10.1002/eet.1707}},
  volume       = {{26}},
  year         = {{2016}},
}