Local Strategies for Climate Change Adaptation ...

Chapter 26

Local Strategies for Climate Change Adaptation: Urban Planning Criteria for Municipalities of the Basque Country, Spain

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Marta Olazabal, Efren Feliú, Borja Izaola, David Pon, Maria Pooley, Marimar Alonso-Martin, and Carlos Castillo

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Abstract Major efforts in the struggle against climate change have been made in the Basque Country. These include instruments such as the Basque Climate Change Office, the Basque Plan to Combat Climate Change, and the many initiatives carried out under the framework of Udalsarea 21 – Basque Network of Municipalities for Sustainability (made up of 199 municipalities and representing 98.8% of the population of the Basque Country). Moreover, specific legislation on climate change is expected to come into force in 2011. In particular, the Basque Government is developing the Climate Change Law and the Sustainable Mobility Law. Additionally, in response to the annual call for eco-innovation projects, the Basque Government is engaged in two climate change adaptation initiatives within the framework of the Udalsarea 21. Both initiatives aim at generating and piloting methodological resources to help municipal authorities establish adaptation policies. The main elements are: (1) methodological directives to draw up local adaptation strategies, and (2) preparation of specific criteria of urban adaptation to climate change to be incorporated into urban planning.

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M. Olazabal (*), E. Feliú, and B. Izaola TECNALIA Unit of Environment C/Geldo, Building 700, Parque Tecnológico de Bizkaia, Derio 48160, Spain e-mail: [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected] D. Pon Innovation and Development Department, MINUARTIA, Domènech, Sant Celoni 08470, Spain e-mail: [email protected] M. Pooley Climate change adaptation and biodiversity, AEA, Gemini Building, Harwell IBC, Didcot, Oxon, OX11 0QR, UK e-mail: [email protected] M. Alonso-Martin and C. Castillo Basque Government, IHOBE, Sociedad Pública Gestión Ambiental, Alameda de Urquijo, 36, 6ª planta, Bilbao 48011, Spain e-mail: [email protected]; [email protected] K. Otto-Zimmermann (ed.), Resilient Cities: Cities and Adaptation to Climate Change - Proceedings of the Global Forum 2010, Local Sustainability 1, DOI 10.1007/978-94-007-0785-6_26, © Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2011

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Keywords Basque Country • Climate change • Local adaptation • Urban planning

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26.1 Introduction

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Natural disaster events – e.g., hurricanes, floods, tsunamis, and earthquakes – dramatically illustrate the potential vulnerability of human society to disturbances and variability (Janssen and Ostrom 2006). Scholars and practitioners from multiple disciplines have used the concepts of resilience, vulnerability, and adaptation to analyse these events with respect to both human well-being and natural ecosystems. The integrative study of these concepts is becoming increasingly important for the research community interested in the human dimensions of global environmental change. The seriousness of climate change impacts depends on the characteristics of regions. According to scenarios developed by the IPCC (2007), highly populated coastal zones, urban areas and valleys face special challenges. Many systems and policies are not well adapted to the variability of the climate. The continuous increase in costs related to floods, draughts and storms has demonstrated the high vulnerability of our current socio-ecological systems (IPCC 2001). The European Commission White Paper on adaptation to climate change (EC 2009) highlights the need to integrate considerations of adaptation into policies by developing actions that allow better knowledge of the impacts of climate change, assess appropriate responses, and guarantee the required funds. These actions would come as part of a regional and local adaptation agenda, which would make adjustments in decision making to reinforce resilience or reduce vulnerability to observed or forecasted changes in the climate (Adger et al. 2007). Scientific activity is considered crucial to shift decision making in favour of adaptation. The debate over the appropriate role of science in policy making, and the development of funding mechanisms that promote its advancement, has become of greater relevance. However, the integration of the adaptation perspective in national and regional policies is fairly new (Miguel Ribeiro et al. 2009), and not homogeneous across Europe. The development of National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) encouraged by the European Commission, is having moderate success in some regions (Miguel Ribeiro et al. 2009). The final report of the European project ‘Design of guidelines for the elaboration of Regional Climate Change Adaptation Strategies’ (Miguel Ribeiro et al. 2009) classified 31 initiatives in the framework of regional strategic policies to combat climate change. Although such initiatives have not yet specifically addressed adaptation issues, they have helped to introduce adaptation onto the political agenda in some way. The adverse effects of climate change become intensified in urban areas where they are aggravated by other stresses such as population growth, changing economic activity, land-use change and urbanisation (Parry et al. 2007). Vulnerable urban communities visibly require the definition of strategies for resilience, minimized vulnerability and enhanced adaptation (Pielke et al. 2007; Adger et al. 2007).

26 Local Strategies for Climate Change Adaptation

In this regard, regional and local capacity building (through the process of adaptive governance) must include the generation of information as well as the creation of suitable legal, institutional and technical conditions required to implement adaptation measures (West and Gawith 2005). Following these recommendations, the Basque Country is making special efforts to support Basque municipalities to develop adaptation policies and strategies that include urban vulnerability assessments from an urban resilience perspective. In early 2009, two complementary initiatives were undertaken in the framework of the annual call for eco-innovation projects organised by the Basque Government. These initiatives intend to generate methodological resources for coping with adaptation to climate change through local management and policies. The intended benefits of this process include the provision of effective joint methodological instruments that can be easily applied by municipal councils, and heightened awareness among leading stakeholders of the need to work in the field of climate change adaptation. In the following sections, these initiatives are briefly described. The last section concludes by offering further steps for the Basque leadership.

26.2 Local Initiative 1: Assessment of Vulnerability and Design of Recommendations to Adapt Basque Municipalities to Climate Change 26.2.1 Aim and Scope of the Project Research has become necessary to assess and improve the resilience of cities. The impact of urban metabolism on the surrounding hinterlands of cities and their resident and dependant populations is widely acknowledged (Wolman 1965; Chen et al. 2008; Olazabal et al. 2009a, b; Urzelai et al. 2007; García et al. 2009; ObstMollering 1998). Awareness of anthropogenic changes to the earth’s atmosphere has also induced measures to mitigate adverse climate effects (Arnfield 2003). Indeed, mitigation and adaptation measures must be taken into account together. It is under this understanding that the Basque Government has funded this research initiative, which aims at defining and making accessible a reference framework for towns and cities to incorporate mitigation and adaptation measures into their urban planning practice. This framework includes a range of measures that address specific hazards alongside realistic urban planning milestones. The climate hazards analysed (sea level rise, floods and urban heat island effect) have been chosen for their relevance in the Basque Country. Urban planning procedures have also been chosen amongst those typically used in the Basque region. The results of this project will complement the Sustainable Urban Planning Handbook published by the Basque Government (2005).

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26.2.2 Stages and Development

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This project has been developed in for main stages:

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1 . Development of a methodology to assess vulnerability at the municipal level 2. Development of urban vulnerability profiles (or typologies) and generation of maps at the regional level 3. Selection of mitigation and adaptation measures 4. Development of recommendations for urban mitigation and adaptation to climate change

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To successfully arrive at the expected goals, the project was developed as follows. In October 2009, a 50 page document was written in order to define the concepts of mitigation and adaptation to climate change. Several theoretical strategies to implement both concepts were discussed and the synergies between them were actively considered. The concept of vulnerability as a result of the analysis of the exposure, sensitivity and adaptive capacity of a given urban realm was detailed. Additionally, suggestions to measure and simplify the concept were provided so that they could be applied to any location. Best practices in America and Europe were studied in order to transfer any lessons learned. The principles of the Basque urban planning system were introduced in a separate chapter. Finally, some general directives were presented as a basic start-up in the fields of local ecosystem adaptation, risk management, comfort within both built and open spaces, impacts on infrastructure, and synergies between planning instruments. A methodology for assessing the vulnerability of cities to climate change was also developed. The above mentioned factors of vulnerability were translated into indicators and variables. Urban data were deployed, standardized and operated for each of the 251 municipalities of the Basque Country. Results of statistical and empirical clustering were advanced as a first attempt to validate the proposed methodology, though the results of the clustering were not as good as expected. Nevertheless, interesting conclusions were reached about the relation between the accessibility of data and its precision: as uncertainty increases, accessibility declines. A 30 page paper was presented in January 2010 explaining each municipality’s characteristics and the learning process they underwent. During February 2010, another internal research project was carried out to differentiate municipalities exposed to the urban heat island effect from those exposed to river floods or to sea level rise. More than half of the municipalities of the Basque Country were found to be affected by at least one of these exposures. For these municipalities, various social and comfort indicators were studied. These findings supported a new classification for the Basque municipalities. A methodology to construct recommendation sets for this classification was then suggested. Finally, in April 2010, a closing document containing more than 50 practical recommendations for urban climate mitigation and adaptation was presented for urban planners and managers. It contained suggestions for the use of indicators and the results of the previous documents. The Basque planning legal framework and its instruments were also presented in depth. These were analysed in connection


with the 50 recommendations in order to clarify when and where these can be better implemented. An extensive bibliography was also annexed so that further research and implementation can be pursued by pioneering municipalities. As a follow up to the project, two validation workshops were carried out in December 2009 that discussed the methodology of vulnerability assessment for urban climates and the specific needs of each municipality. A second workshop in April 2010 focused on the feasibility of the proposed recommendations. Twenty participants were welcomed from the Basque municipalities and territorial planning institutions. Town mayors, urban planners, municipal architects, city environmental managers and key sectorial experts attended participatory meetings.

26.2.3 First Results and Expected Impacts

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At the urban level in the Basque Country, many climate-related impacts are relevant. Although erosion and land slides have significant impact, the key hazards that have been considered in this study are the following:

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1. River flooding due to extreme rain events: Given the small size of the Basque river basins, heavy rains can produce short-term, high speed avenues of water that carry away large quantities of detritus from the hills. Coupled with the fact that several large towns are placed along estuaries and that urban developments have not respected meanders and alluvial areas, these hazards could affect more than half of the municipalities – 150 out of 251 (see Fig. 26.1). 2. Slow but continuous sea level rise: The effect of global warming on the melting of the ice caps is well-known. Estimates are that a tidal rise of 2 mm per year will occur. In the Basque Country, this means that several hundred hectares of land are due to disappear. According to these projections, then, many fishing villages and harbours will see their existence threatened. 3. Urban heat island effect within highly populated areas: Human activity, when highly concentrated – i.e., more than 15,000 people per hectare – can produce more heat than a settlement is capable of dissipating. If urban areas are located on the coast, sea winds can lower this effect, while in highly industrialized areas, the opposite can occur. During summer nights this means an average of 8°C higher than in the surrounding hinterland. This effect can lead to health problems (see Fig. 26.2).

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Recommendations for adapting cities to these hazards have been improved with risk management criteria and by considering mitigation strategies. Within this analysis, urban climate adaptive recommendations are structured under five aspects:

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1 . Mitigation measures 2. Adaptive management recommendations 3. Urban adaptation to the heat island effect 4. Urban adaptation to the sea level rise 5. Urban adaptation to river floods

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Fig. 26.1 Results of the flood risk study: 150 out of 251 municipalities affected

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Fig. 26.2 Results of the urban heat island study: 80 out of 251 municipalities affected


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These measures and recommendations are in direct relation to urban planning considerations, which take into account the following: 1 . Consequences of land use on surroundings – conflict and compatibility 2. Transport and service infrastructure – linear dimension and hub connections 3. Carrying capacity of the wider territory – ecosystem balance 4. Availability of resources within consolidated urban plots – supply and demand 5. Social and environmental needs – quality of life, mobility, economy and production The management of these issues is heavily dependent on participatory and interinstitutional tools with communication between experts, private agents and public bodies. This approach is needed in order to reach the entire affected population. A global recommendation that is applicable to most situations is the development of an urban adaptation plan. The measures and interventions arranged in this sort of document need to be adapted to changing circumstances. This might require the establishment of some type of information exchange hub – say, a climate change information office – where citizens could exchange knowledge, best practices, and developments within the expert community. Education and awareness programmes should also be started within schools and customized to social class and age. The expected impacts of this project in the short-term are, on the one hand, an increased awareness and participation of different stakeholders and, on the other, the dissemination of the results of the project among Basque municipalities, environmental agencies and the general public. At the mid-term stage, this project should promote an increase in environmental research at the micro-scale, including atmospheric simulations, rain scenarios, demographic prognoses, and mobility plans. In the long-term, recommendations are expected to be adopted within the municipalities. As the threat of extreme weather events becomes increasingly clear, funding is expected to increase for the implementation of more specific measures. At the same time, these initiatives will bring benefits and employment to the engineering technology and consultancy markets.

26.3 Local Initiative 2: Development of a Methodology for the Implementation of Local Adaptation Strategies The second local initiative involves the development of a methodology for the preparation of local climate change adaptation programmes. This is based on the results of Local Initiative 1 on urban vulnerability assessment (described in the previous section) as well as the Programme for Adaptation to Climate Change of the Basque Country. The intention of this initiative, which is now at an early stage, is to provide municipalities with the tools needed to include adaptation into their management work. This approach fits into the planning instruments already in place, particularly


the Local Agenda 21 Action Plan, which has already been accepted by most Udalsarea 21 member municipalities. The main points of the methodology are:

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1. Definition of motivating factors for adaptation and developing arguments that stress the importance of including adaptation into municipal management. 2. Identification of elements that can help to incorporate adaptation through various degrees of commitment, according to individual circumstances. This means prioritising and making accessible a methodology which turns adaptation into action through specific local action plans or climate change adaptation programmes linked to Local Agenda 21. 3. Depiction of potential adaptation measures for municipalities. These consist of two basic types: (a) ‘no regret’ measures – measures that entail more benefits than costs, even in the absence of impacts from climate change – and (b) ‘low regret’ measures – measures that entail relatively low cost with high potential benefits under projected climate change.

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This methodology will be piloted at volunteer municipalities and adjusted to meet their specific needs. Following this trial period, the methodology will become available to all municipalities through the resources provided by the Udalsarea 21 network.

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26.4 Conclusions and Future Steps

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Both initiatives have been promoted to cover several activities identified as key for climate change adaptation at the local level in the Basque Country. Such activities can be summarized as follows:

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1. Preparation of a methodological framework to assess vulnerability to climate change at the municipal level 2. Systematisation of typical impacts of climate change and classification of municipalities by type in line with their vulnerability to climate change 3. Development of methodological directives to formulate local strategies of adaptation to climate change 4. Definition of criteria for the implementation of actions to combat climate change through urban planning 5. Dissemination of information through workshops among the Udalsarea 21 netw.ork of municipalities and between leading stakeholders

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The following have been identified as key success factors:

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1. Engagement of the main stakeholders in assessing vulnerability profiles and drawing up methodological instruments 2. Top to bottom alignment of initiatives and policies at the regional scale for adaptation to climate change, particularly the programme for adaptation to climate change in the Basque Country

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3. Alignment at the peer level and valorisation of all initiatives and instruments already in place in local management and policies at the municipal level 4. Piloting efforts in the preparation of the methodology 5. A philosophy that seeks to provide cost-effective methodological instruments that can be viably incorporated with policies for adaptation to climate change 6. Coherence and alignment of mitigation and adaptation policies (Yohe and Strzepek 2007; Revi 2008)

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Similarly, we consider that the major challenges in urban areas are, on one hand, defining the best framework for action and on the other hand, identifying opportunities that make the best use of technologies. The Basque experience shows that the best combination of strategies and procedures needs to be identified in a way that increases the efficiency and effectiveness of adaptation actions. An institutional framework which promotes this behaviour should enhance municipal adaptive capacity to make it more flexible and responsive to sudden changes. It is also essential to establish a continually updated knowledge base of the impacts of climate change on our regions, coasts and ecosystems. This process is crucial for detecting new and unknown vulnerabilities of ecosystem services, communities, the built environment, as well as the economy. The Basque Government has promoted the initiatives described in this paper and has made efforts to establish a policy framework that addresses the issue of adaptation. Furthermore, specific legislation on climate change – i.e., the Programme for Adaptation to Climate Change of the Basque Country – is expected to come into force in 2011. These efforts should be reinforced through the broadest possible mobilisation of stakeholders.

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