Stimulating urban transition and transformation to achieve sustainable and resilient cities

Political decision-makers need to consider the various challenges and opportunities that climate change can bring, and they must take decisions under high uncertainty to achieve resilient cities. Here, we synthesise the push and pull approaches reported in the literature and employed in practice to achieve sustainable and resilient cities. First, we present a literature review which identified the major research fields on transition theories, frameworks and methods that underpin this concept. We analyse the conditions for change, identify enablers or triggers for change at governance level for transitioning a city towards sustainability and resilience. We discuss the theories, frameworks and methods which can be used to address the urban climate change challenge at city level. Second, we present an empirical approach based on stakeholder participation that we conducted to detect the conditions for change. We report on the design and implementation of stakeholder exercises that helped us detecting the conditions for changes. Third, we combine the information obtained from these stakeholder exercises with that extracted from the literature in order to provide a fuller picture on how stimulate the transition and transformation to achieve sustainable and resilient cities. Based on our literature review and empirical approach, we formulate an integrated conceptual model for transition that enables the design of adaptation (and mitigation) strategies that consider the triggers of change. Uniquely we identified 8 triggers of change, including authority and political leadership, learning from disasters, co-responsibility, increased public-private interface, social participation and the living lab approach to innovation. The proposed model can be applied to the whole city or to a certain sector of the city (e.g. energy). We demonstrate that triggers of change help to overcome planning and implementation barriers and move the socio-ecological and socio-technical systems of any city towards those of a resilient city.This work was supported by the European Community's Seventh Framework Programme: Grant Agreement No. 308497, Project RAMSES “Reconciling Adaptation, Mitigation and Sustainable Development for Cities”, 2012–2017. In addition, this study has received partial funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement no. 653522 (RESIN−Climate Resilient Cities and Infrastructures project)

Lessons Learned from Applying Adaptation Pathways in Heatwave Risk Management in Antwerp and Key Challenges for Further Development

Heat exposure is a well-known health hazard, which causes several problems ranging from thermal discomfort or productivity reduction to the aggravation of existing illnesses and death. Climate projections foresee an increase in the frequency and intensity of heat-related impacts on human health. To reduce these climate risks, governments need a better understanding of not only the scale and the factors affecting those risks, but also how to prepare and protect the city and citizens against these risks and prevent them through effective policy making. Therefore, climate adaptation decisions need to be made in complex systems with manifold uncertainties. In response to these deep uncertainties, different planning approaches have been developed to assist policymakers in decision making. This paper is focused on one of the dynamic adaptive policy planning approaches: the adaptation pathway. This approach allows designing alternative feasible plans that are flexible and can respond when new information appears or when conditions in the environment change. This paper presents a structured methodology for designing adaptation pathways. The work describes a high-level adaptation pathway covering heatwave impacts on productivity and health at city level in Antwerp to ensure the city adapts to future conditions. Lastly, a summary is provided of the lessons learned and the challenges of this approach are discussed.This work was supported by the European Community’s Seventh Framework Programme (grant agreement no. 308497), Project RAMSES “Reconciling Adaptation, Mitigation and Sustainable Development for Cities” (2012–2017). In addition, this study has received partial funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement no. 653522 (RESIN−Climate Resilient Cities and Infrastructures project)

Urkidi-pagadi baten dinamika: Quercus-en dendrokronologia

En un estudio previo (Herrera, 2001) se reconstruyó la dinámica de un abedular-hayedo situado en el Parque Natural de Urkiola (Bizkaia). El presente trabajo estudia la dinámica del mismo bosque mediante el análisis de los anillos de crecimiento de roble pedunculado (Q. robur)y melojo (Q. pyrenaica).Todos los pies de ambas especies se instalaron a partir de 1950, en Q. pyrenaica el establecimiento máximo se dio en esta misma década mientras que en Q. robur fue posterior. Ambas especies presentaron una liberación del crecimiento en la decada de los 60.Aurretik buruturiko lan batean (Herrera, 2001) Urkiolako Parke Naturalean (Bizkaia) kokaturiko urkidi-pagadi dinamika berreiki zen. Lan honetan haritz kanduduna (Quercus robur)eta ametzaren (Quercus pyrenaica)urteroko hazkuntza-eraztunen analisiaren bitartez baso berdinaren dinamika aztertzen da. Bi espezieen oin guztiak 50. hamarkada ondoren ezarri dira, Q. pyrenaica-k maximoa hor izanik eta Q. robur-ek aldiz ondoren. Bien kasuan, hazkuntza askapena 60. hamarkadan gertatzen da.Un étude antérieur (Herrera, 2001) a reconstruit la dynamique d'un bois dominé par bouleaux et hêtres, au Parc Naturel d'Urkiola (Bizkaia). Ce nouveau travail analyse la dynamique du même bois, au moyen de l'étude des cernes de croissance de chêne pedonculé (Q. robur)et chêne tauzine (Q. Pyrenaica).Tous le pieds de deux chénes s'installairent après 1950; la plupart des tauzines s'installairent cette decade, cependant les pedonculés se sont installés plus tard. La croissance des deux chênes subit une liberation pendant la décade de 1960.A beech-birch forest located in the Urkiola Natural Park (Bizkaia) dynamics reconstruction was made and reported in a previous study (Herrera, 2001). Present work offers data about forest dynamics following ring-width chronologies of pedunculate oak (Quercus roburL.)and pyrenean oak (Q. pyrenaica). Sampled trees were established since 1950, while pyrenean oak shows a peak stablishment through this decade, pedunculate oak shows it later. Both tree species experienced a growth release in 1960 decade

Lessons Learned from Applying Adaptation Pathways in Heatwave Risk Management in Antwerp and Key Challenges for Further Development

Heat exposure is a well-known health hazard, which causes several problems ranging from thermal discomfort or productivity reduction to the aggravation of existing illnesses and death. Climate projections foresee an increase in the frequency and intensity of heat-related impacts on human health. To reduce these climate risks, governments need a better understanding of not only the scale and the factors affecting those risks, but also how to prepare and protect the city and citizens against these risks and prevent them through effective policy making. Therefore, climate adaptation decisions need to be made in complex systems with manifold uncertainties. In response to these deep uncertainties, different planning approaches have been developed to assist policymakers in decision making. This paper is focused on one of the dynamic adaptive policy planning approaches: the adaptation pathway. This approach allows designing alternative feasible plans that are flexible and can respond when new information appears or when conditions in the environment change. This paper presents a structured methodology for designing adaptation pathways. The work describes a high-level adaptation pathway covering heatwave impacts on productivity and health at city level in Antwerp to ensure the city adapts to future conditions. Lastly, a summary is provided of the lessons learned and the challenges of this approach are discussed