Multilevel risk governance and urban adaptation policy

Abstract

International audienceDespite a flurry of activity in cities on climate change and growing interest in the research community, climate policy at city-scale remains fragmented and basic tools to facilitate good decision-making are lacking. This paper draws on an interdisciplinary literature review to establish a multilevel risk governance conceptual framework. It situates the local adaptation policy challenge and action within this to explore a range of institutional questions associated with strengthening local adaptation and related functions of local government. It highlights the value of institutional design to include analytic-deliberative practice, focusing on one possible key tool to support local decision-making-that of boundary organizations to facilitate local science-policy assessment. After exploring a number of examples of boundary organisations in place today, the authors conclude that a number of institutional models are valid. A common feature across the different approaches is the establishment of a science-policy competence through active deliberation and shared analysis engaging experts and decision-makers in an iterative exchange of information. Important features that vary include the geographic scope of operation and the origin of funding, the level and form of engagement of different actors, and the relationship with "producers" of scientific information. National and sub-national (regional) governments may play a key role to provide financial and technical assistance to support the creation of such boundary organizations with an explicit mandate to operate at local levels; in turn, in a number of instances boundary organizations have been shown to be able to facilitate local partnerships, engagement and decision-making on adaptation. While the agenda for multi-level governance of climate change is inevitably much broader than this, first steps by national governments to work with sub-national governments, urban authorities and other stakeholders to advance capacity in this area could be an important step for local adaptation policy agenda

Reflections on a Science and Technology Agenda for 21st Century Disaster Risk Reduction

“…Needs for the following were discussed: (1) the importance of communication and dissemination of information by these networks and platforms; (2) linkages between these networks (local, national, regional, and global levels), as well as processes and mechanisms for engagement; and (3) how to strengthen the S&T networks and link them to DRR platforms. The governance of this expanding system of networks and organizations with an impact on DRR will need to be examined to ensure a constructive, effective, and integrated multilevel DRR governance system that promotes co-design of policies and implementation (Shi et al 2010;Corfee-Morlot et al 2011).…”

Moving towards inclusive urban adaptation: approaches to integrating community-based adaptation to climate change at city and national scale

“…While the Guwahati city government has accepted the study recommendations, to adopt these they need State Government's acceptance of the resilience strategy to be forwarded to the city for implementation. This is logical given the regulatory-institutional set-up where urban development is a State subject, and both the State and national levels should work with cities when building climate policy which reframes city-level development (Corfee-Morlot, Cochran, Hallegatte, & Teasdale, 2011;Sharma & Tomar, 2010). Adoption of CBA would require institutional mandates and proper application of existing regulations for community participation.…”

“…Multilevel governance, with national and local governments working together on urban climate governance, has been emphasized in the literature (Bulkeley & Tuts, 2013;Corfee-Morlot et al, 2011), and by extension, the multilevel approach should extend to local-level community and civil society organizations. If urban resilience is to enter the discourse at the city scale, the capacity of city residents as well as officials to understand the implications of climate change and how to adapt to it needs to be strengthened.…”

A Geographic Information System (GIS)-based approach to adaptation to regional climate change: a case study of Okutama-machi, Tokyo, Japan

“…Tools are vital in analyzing and managing the uncertainty which accompanies climate change assessments. Corfee-Morlot et al (2011) also indicated, institutional design with inclusion of analytic-deliberative practices, focusing on the potentially key tool of characterizing projection uncertainty, facilitates good decision-making. However, the basic tools for local government leaders are particularly lacking.…”