https://sustainability.hapres.com/htmls/JSR_1098_Detail.html

Abstract

Local governments face multiple issues, which are revealed most clearly in urban areas. There, climate change is exacerbating existing problems such as deepening inequality, infrastructural needs and housing affordability, which are in turn overlain across permanent issues of segregation, transportation provision, pollution and resource depletion. This paper explores published examples of urban adaptation that demonstrate the complexity of these policy challenges, and the value of an equally rich approach such as the local state. The paper notes that examples of transformational policy-making in US cities point to highly interventionist approaches rather than strongly participative regimes.

Reconstructing Powerful Knowledge in an era of climate change

“…There is certainly a burgeoning literature on climate adaptation but it has several limitations. Crucially, it conflates the creation of managerial positions in sustainability within municipalities with effective policy development, and the development of policy with successful outcomes (Kirby, 2019b). As is however clear, the development of such outcomes will depend upon much more than the creation of professional career paths linked to sustainability or related fields.…”

“…This sits uneasily with the alternative approach to risk identified as resilience planning. The concept of resilience is of interest within several disciplines (including psychology and gerontology) and high-profile efforts are underway to create 'resilient cities' (Kirby, 2019b). While this seems to be a nuanced approach to adaptation, there exists a critique which sees resilience planning as a form of triage, in which risks are merely contained.…”

“…Linking emergency with homeland security effectively excludes stakeholders other than as residents to be managed or as victims to be rescued. Rebranding emergency management as adaptive planning, which can incorporate multiple knowledge holders will involve a recalibration of a profession and of the goals of many local states (Kirby, 2019b). Even less well understood is the recognition that involving knowledge-holders depends upon a number of pre-conditions which themselves offer insights into the way in which the local state operates.…”