Adapting adaptation: the English eco-town initiative as governance process

Abstract

ABSTRACT. Climate change adaptation and mitigation have become key policy drivers in the UK under its Climate Change Act of 2008. At the same time, urbanization has been high on the agenda, given the pressing need for substantial additional housing, particularly in southeast England. These twin policy objectives were brought together in the UK government's 'eco-town' initiative for England launched in 2007, which has since resulted in four eco-town projects currently under development. We critically analyze the eco-town initiative's policy evolution and early planning phase from a multilevel governance perspective by focusing on the following two interrelated aspects: (1) the evolving governance structures and resulting dynamics arising from the development of the eco-town initiative at UK governmental level, and the subsequent partial devolution to local stakeholders, including local authorities and nongovernmental actors, under the new 'localism' agenda; and (2) the effect of these governance dynamics on the conceptual and practical approach to adaptation through the emerging eco-town projects. As such, we problematize the impact of multilevel governance relations, and competing governance strategies and leadership, on shaping eco-town and related adaptation strategies and practice.

The governance of adaptation: choices, reasons, and effects. Introduction to the Special Feature

“…In their analysis of the British eco-towns initiative, Tomozeiu and Joss (2014) show how climate change adaptation goals (and even climate policy goals in general) can get lost when such goals are effectively added only later in the policy process; when they are implemented by a bureaucracy with other priorities; and when changes in national politics occur. They call attention to the horizontal and vertical integration that is needed to attain policy goals.…”

“…Finally, when the Labour government lost power, and was replaced by a coalition of Conservatives and Liberals, national policies on this matter were withdrawn, leaving the few eco-towns with an explicit climate agenda to fend for themselves. Although these initiatives may still become successful, Tomozeiu and Joss (2014) ask whether "beyond the immediate challenge of keeping their local initiatives going, these local actors have the capacity to contribute to nationally significant adaptation policy innovation." Here we touch upon a dilemma encountered more often in the literature on "polycentric governance" (see, e.g., Ostrom 2005): given the fact that decentralization means that a certain form of "natural experimentation" enters the governance system, having a decentralized system opens up opportunities for learning and innovation because many units are tinkering with (roughly) similar problems.…”

A comparative study on the quality of China's eco-city: Suzhou vs Kitakyushu

“…Eco-city initiatives at local, national and international levels have increased significantly around the world in recent years, not limited to developed countries in the Western hemisphere. There is a significant amount of literature on the practices, achievements and challenges of building eco-cities, sustainable cities, or ecofriendly cities in both developed countries and developing countries, including Germany, Sweden, Great Britain, the United States, Japan, Canada and China, Kenya, South Africa just to name a few (European Union, 2010;Global Environment Centre Foundation, 2005;Hunt, 2005;Joss, Tomozeiu, & Cowley, 2011;Kenworthy, 2006;Qiu, 2009;Ravetz, 2000;Tomozeiu & Joss, 2014). Moreover a number of studies have investigated the social, political, and economic contexts contributing to the success or failure of eco-city projects (Cugurullo, 2015;Pow & Neo, 2013;Raco & Lin, 2012).…”

Policy to reality: evaluating the evidence trajectory for English eco-towns

“…The discussion focuses on the interwoven networks that gathered information, and knowledge on sustainable lifestyles and construction used to shape Baker et al's (1997) common ground, providing en route: a critique of the national policy intent and framework; a description of the policy evolution from a high-level strategic vision into deliverable targets through the drafting of guidance documents; and how delivery of these plans has been affected by the local particularity of each eco-town demonstrating the horizontal (centralist) and vertical (national to local) processes of policy coordination (Tomozeiu & Joss, 2014). Drawing on Rydin and Moore's (2008) research on the creation and use of sustainable construction information within planning departments, and on Cooper's (2006) reflection on the extent that this expert evidence gathering is a socially constructed interaction of insiders (local government, project teams) and outside 'experts', this paper looks for the conditions required for that knowledge to be recognized as (1) legitimate and useable and (2) how the political context affects knowledge capture and deployment from these multiple sources (Cooper, 2006).…”