Climate Change Adaptation in Urban Systems: Strategies for Planning

Regimes

Key Points
Climate change is stated as a potential threat with varied scale and scope.

Current policy is focused towards mitigation, specially lowering of GHGs, but this too lacks
planetary action and success of some countries in this regard is offset by failure of others.

In practical terms adaptation is more important than mitigation as stated that certain climate
change effects are now inevitable.

Use of urban planning tools like plan making, development management, urban design and
place making can play key role.

Climate change is mainly caused by human actions and it will ultimately affect human
activity in a widespread and extremely harmful way.

75% of GHG emissions are mainly due to world’s urban areas which are principle source of
emerging climate threat. Urban areas tend to be extremely resource intensive.

Huge demand of fossil fuels, spatial functions, commerce, transport functions, construction
industry, supply functions, and provision of sanitation, electricity, light and heat all contribute
largely to climate change.

Effects climate change may produce are; reduction in portable water, heavy rainfalls and
cyclones, increased flooding, inland storm surges and increase in extreme heat events.

The extent of vulnerability to these effects can be increased with density/concentration of

people.

Adaptation is taking actions to minimize negative consequences of climate change whereas

mitigation tends to focus on reducing GHG emissions.

Limiting the severity of climate change efforts towards mitigation must occur in tandem with
efforts towards mitigation because of already locked up gasses in the atmosphere.

It has also been noted that climate change appears to be occurring at faster rate than
previously thought so the response in this regard should be urgent.

The UK institute of Mechanical Engineers (IME) says that adaption of urban system and
infrastructure will be vital in tackling climate effects.

Clean Air Partnership sees benefits of adaptation at par with the cost incurred as if a city
protects itself from atrocities of climate change it’s the city which is benefited in form of
health, environment and economy.
Adaptation is suggested as best policy for two reasons, first best adapted cities will likely be
the most resilient and least vulnerable. Second the adaptation can produce direct, local
results.

Urban planning as an agent of adaptation

There are financial costs associated with building climate change considerations into
planning process but the cost of taking early actions is much less than responding to climate
change impacts as they happen.

The European Spatial Planning Adapting to Climate Events Project (ESPACE) states that
while adaptation presents a variety of new issues for planning; it can be an opportunity for
good planning to thrive.

Establishment of a National, top-down policy for adaptive action provides local planning
regimes with a basis for developing plans and establishing implementation strategies.

With adequate policy guidance on adaptation, planning authorities can systematically use
plan-making to establish a framework for delivering appropriate action (Gleeson, 2008).

IPCC asserts that proper plan making can increase adaptive capacitates in urban system by
including adaptation measures in land-use planning and infrastructure design and by
including other measures for reducing vulnerability.

Adaptation needs clear plan making if it is to succeed. It should include separate adaptation
plan as well as adaptation to be included in development planning decisions. Adaptation
plans serve to establish general priorities in respect to adaptation whilst development plan
distl these priorities into specific areas such as design, land-use, urban form, infrastructure
and so forth.

This foucusses the role of planning in pomoting porous surfacing and green roofing as
adaptive design interventions.

Porous surfacing has been suggested as a remedy to inncreased flooding and frequency.
Conventional piped systems are becoming increasingly vulnerable as the number of extreme
weather events producing rainfall in excess of piped system capacity increases. More
frequent storm surges and heavy rainfalls can be particularly problematic, especially when
heavy rainfall patterns are characterized by short, intense bursts or result from increased
storm activity. rainfall in excess of piped system capacity increases. More frequent storm
surges and heavy rainfalls can be particularly problematic, especially when heavy rainfall
patterns are characterized by short, intense bursts or result from increased storm activity.

Material availale include porous asphalt, pervious concrete, porous turf and open joint block.
This can lead to improved flood risk management and better protection of groundwater
resources, whilst also benefiting bio-diversity and increasing urban amenity.

Porous surfacing – particularly porous turf – can also reduce urban heat island effects by
absorbing and cooling atmospheric heat (DEFRA, 2008).
With responsibilities for managing, designing, developing and co-ordinating urban built
environments, planning regimes are well positioned to oversee the successful delivery of
porous surfacing, both in new developments and in redesigning existing urban spaces.

Whilst improved water management is a significant advantage of green roofing, it is not the
only way that the technology can be useful. Green roofing has other benefits. These include
urban cooling and a reduction of urban heat island effects, as roof-based vegetation lowers
the absorption and release of solar radiation, whilst water trapped in foliage increases local
humidity and allows cooling via evapotranspiration. Additionally, green roofs can contribute
to local biodiversity by providing habitats and food sources for insects and birds. Green roofs
can also offer aesthetic value.A number of cities have grasped the adaptive advantages of
green roofs and have implemented standards which allow local planning regimes to ensure
that urban development includes this technology.

Retrofitting the technology is less straightforward, mainly due to the extra weight that they
place on buildings.

If urban planning regimes seek to promote green roofs as an adaptive measure, it may
increase the potential for innovation and thus, improve the potential for successful retrofitting
in future.

Lessons Learnt
Climate change is a serious threat to humanity and urban planners can play and need to play
an important role in it.

There is a dire need to control the main cause of climate change i.e. GHGs emission. Carbon
tax and other such kind of taxes can be levied to developers, industrialists and other emitters
of GHGs.

National Policy for climate change should be prepared considering all elements which would
be a key to formulate regional/local action plans for urban planners/Control Authorities.

Mitigation can play itss role in long run and planetry basis while adaptation can produce local
results.

Imbedding adaptive policy in the development plan can help indentify local threat and
sugggesting local actions.

Climate change adaptation stategy will not only benefit in this regard but will tackle many
other factors like flood management, emergency management, biodiversity, ecology and
economy as well.