Urban Governance for Adaptation: Assessing Climate Change Resilience in Ten Asian Cities

Abstract

SummaryRapidly expanding urban settlements in the developing world face severe climatic risks in light of climate change. Urban populations will increasingly be forced to cope with increased incidents of flooding, air and water pollution, heat stress and vector-borne diseases. This research, undertaken with a set of partner research institutes, examines how to manage climate-related impacts in an urban context by promoting planned and autonomous adaptation in order to by improve resilience in a changing climate. It investigates the linkages between the characteristics of propoor good urban governance, climate adaptation and resilience, and poverty and sustainable development concerns. The paper develops an analytical framework by combining governance literature with rapid climate resilience assessments conducted in ten Asian cities. Based on this empirical data, we argue that a number of key characteristics can be identified to assess and build urban resilience to climate change in a way that reduces the vulnerability of the citizens most at risk from climate shocks and stresses. These characteristics form the basis of a climate resilient urban governance assessment framework, and include (1) decentralisation and autonomy, (2) accountability and transparency, (3) responsiveness and flexibility, (4) participation and inclusion and (5) experience and support. This framework can help to assist in the planning, design and implementation of urban climate change resilience-building programmes in the future.Keywords: climate change; adaptation; urban governance; resilience; Asia. IDS WORKING PAPER 315 04Thomas Tanner is a Research Fellow at IDS specialising in climate change adaptation and its relation to development theory, policy and practice. His work focuses on international climate policy, linking poverty and climate change; childcentred approaches to disaster risk reduction and adaptation; organisational responses to climate change; and networks and knowledge services for adaptation. He has previously worked for the UK Department for International Development and the United Nations Development Programme on climate change adaptation policy and programmes, and has been a negotiator for the UN conventions on climate change and desertification.

Social Protection and Climate Change: Emerging Issues for Research, Policy and Practice

“…Donors and researchers have become increasingly interested in the idea of using asset transfers, cash transfers and other forms of 'social protection' to reduce poverty and vulnerability to climate change (for example, Davies et al, 2008;Tanner et al, 2009;Johnson and Krishnamurthy, 2010;Béné, 2011;Wood, 2011;Kuriakose et al, this volume). Social protection (SP) has been shown to provide an important means of reducing vulnerability to climate-induced poverty spirals during periods of acute environmental stress (Awokuse, 2011;Béné, 2011;Devereux, 2009;Devereux and Sabates-Wheeler, 2004;Doocy et al, 2006;Heltberg et al, 2009;Johnson and Krishnamurthy, 2010;Todd et al, 2010;Maluccio, 2010;Sabates-Wheeler and Devereux, 2007;Wood, 2011;Niño-Zarazua et al, 2012).…”

“…Cash and food transfers have been shown to provide a vital safety-net for households whose incomes, assets and livelihoods are negatively affected as a result of rapid-onset events, such as windstorms, flooding and drought (Doocy et al, 2006;Tanner et al, 2009; © The Authors 2013. Development Policy Review © 2013 Overseas Development Institute.…”

Five Feet High and Rising: Cities and Flooding in the 21st Century

“…Public-private cooperation has become a fundamental component of the strategies adopted by international development organizations (Tanner et al 2009). In flood risk reduction, public-private partnerships can provide to the private sector a better understanding of their interdependence with the local critical infrastructure, and improve coordination with the local stakeholders before, during, and after a disaster (NRC 2011).…”

Conceptualization of Vulnerability, its Linkages to Climate Change and Policy Implications

“…In this regard understanding the complexities and challenges to determine potential organizational and governance structures can be effective in different contexts are needed to be addressed on immediate basis (Klein et al, 2007;Wilbanks and Sathaye, 2007). Planning and design are critical to regional vulnerability reduction and effective adaptation because they can have long-term effects and can change the way people behave (Saavedra and Budd, 2009;Smit and Pilifosova, 2003;Tanner et al 2009). Richardson et al, (2009) emphasized on equity issues and societal transformation to mitigate and adapt to climate change and bring long-term benefits.…”