Towards transformative adaptation in cities: the IPCC’s Fifth Assessment

Abstract

This paper considers the very large differences in adaptive capacity among the world’s urban centres. It then discusses how risk levels may change for a range of climatic drivers of impacts in the near term (2030–2040) and the long term (2080–2100) with a 2°C and a 4°C warming for Dar es Salaam, Durban, London and New York City. The paper is drawn directly from Chapter 8 of Climate Change 2014: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability, the IPCC Working Group II contribution to the Fifth Assessment Report. It includes the complete text of this chapter’s Executive Summary. The paper highlights the limits to what adaptation can do to protect urban areas and their economies and populations without the needed global agreement and action on mitigation; this is the case even for cities with high adaptive capacities. It ends with a discussion of transformative adaptation and where learning on how to achieve this needs to come from.

Making headway in climate policy mainstreaming and ecosystem-based adaptation: two pioneering countries, different pathways, one goal

“…It changes the rules of the game and challenges ideas, attitudes, or activities that are considered mainstream or normal (Picciotto 2002). In turn, this is related to the concepts of sustainable transformation and transformative adaptation (IPCC 2012(IPCC , 2014Pelling et al 2014;Westley et al 2011), where the latter is recognized for its potential to address root causes of risk and failed approaches to sustainable development (Revi et al 2014).…”

Towards Risk-Sensitive and Transformative Urban Development in Sub Saharan Africa

“…Building on this, Revi et al [12] (p. 13) propose that effective citybased disaster risk management and risk reduction provides a strong foundation for transformative urban development and adaptation, which also necessarily entails "effective multi-level urban risk While there is no formal agreed upon definition, transformative urban development implies a radical or profound non-linear change to systems and shifts to new modes of urban planning, management and governance, thereby leading to new development pathways and practices that challenge the status quo [10][11][12]. Building on this, Revi et al [12] (p. 13) propose that effective city-based disaster risk management and risk reduction provides a strong foundation for transformative urban development and adaptation, which also necessarily entails "effective multi-level urban risk governance, alignment of policies and incentives, strengthened local government and community adaptation capacity, synergies with the private sector and appropriate financing and institutional development." These issues are explored in this paper through the application of our conceptual framework presented in Figure 1, where they are presented as inter-linked blockages and opportunities for risk-sensitive and transformative urban development.…”

“…The figure shows that transition is constrained by fragmented governance, donor priorities and inadequate monitoring of hazards, impacts and vulnerability. While there is no formal agreed upon definition, transformative urban development implies a radical or profound non-linear change to systems and shifts to new modes of urban planning, management and governance, thereby leading to new development pathways and practices that challenge the status quo [10][11][12]. Building on this, Revi et al [12] (p. 13) propose that effective citybased disaster risk management and risk reduction provides a strong foundation for transformative urban development and adaptation, which also necessarily entails "effective multi-level urban risk While there is no formal agreed upon definition, transformative urban development implies a radical or profound non-linear change to systems and shifts to new modes of urban planning, management and governance, thereby leading to new development pathways and practices that challenge the status quo [10][11][12].…”

“…While there is no formal agreed upon definition, transformative urban development implies a radical or profound non-linear change to systems and shifts to new modes of urban planning, management and governance, thereby leading to new development pathways and practices that challenge the status quo [10][11][12]. Building on this, Revi et al [12] (p. 13) propose that effective citybased disaster risk management and risk reduction provides a strong foundation for transformative urban development and adaptation, which also necessarily entails "effective multi-level urban risk While there is no formal agreed upon definition, transformative urban development implies a radical or profound non-linear change to systems and shifts to new modes of urban planning, management and governance, thereby leading to new development pathways and practices that challenge the status quo [10][11][12]. Building on this, Revi et al [12] (p. 13) propose that effective city-based disaster risk management and risk reduction provides a strong foundation for transformative urban development and adaptation, which also necessarily entails "effective multi-level urban risk governance, alignment of policies and incentives, strengthened local government and community adaptation capacity, synergies with the private sector and appropriate financing and institutional development."…”

Urban Transformations

“…Making cities more resilient means, therefore strengthening a system against turbulences and constructing functions and struc-tures that are flexible and elastic in terms of less vulnerability during times of crisis (Revi et al 2014). Therefore, increasing the resilience of a city is seen as crucial element of urban transformations (Schneidewind and Scheck 2013).…”