Cities and Climate Change: The role of institutions, governance and urban planning 5th Urban Research Symposium: Cities and Climate Change 28-30 June 2009, Marseille Report prepared by: Harriet Bulkeley, Heike Schroeder, Katy Janda, Jimin Zhao, Andrea Armstrong, Shu Yi Chu and Shibani Ghosh
Outline • • • • • •
Research methods Case study results Drivers/barriers Modes of governance Lessons/insights Recommendations
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Introduction • History of engagement with climate change agenda primarily by cities in the north • Focus on mitigation, energy conservation • Evidence of a new ‘wave’ of urban climate change response – Broader range of cities – Inclusion I l i off adaptation d t ti – But emphasis remains on • mitigation • built environment, transport and urban infrastructure sectors
Research Methods • Focus on 10 cities in the “+8 countries” – Beijing, Hong Kong, Delhi, Mumbai, Yogyakarta, Seoul, Melbourne, Cape Town, Sao Paolo, Mexico City • Examination of the built environment, transportation and urban infrastructures • Literature review and in-depth interviews (in Beijing, Hong Kong, Yogyakarta, Melbourne and Mexico City)
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Case study results • Focus remains on mitigation rather than adaptation y why? – – – –
lack of action by transnational networks on climate adaptation few opportunities for leadership limited knowledge on which to base decisions lack of resources or competencies to change infrastructure systems – an absence of issue framing linking adaptation to pressing urban social, economic and environmental issues – lack of opportunity to make profit; no linear rate rate-of-return of return from such investment
Drivers of Mitigation • Data on local emissions • Policy entrepreneurs or leadership opportunities • Reframing of climate change • Enabling national/regional policy framework • Financial resources availability and flexibility • Partnerships and networks for knowledge and capacity
Adaptation • Technical capacity at local/regional level • Good governance, i.e. provision of municipal services and safety to all • Access to financial and human resources • Horizontal and vertical linkages and good policy coordination • Empowerment and training of civil society
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Challenges for Mitigation • Lack of local data on emissions profile/trajectory • Conflict with national policy or other local agendas • Institutionalizing climate change beyond individual entrepreneur • Limited civil society engagement • Translation of public information campaigns into behavioral change • Urban sprawl
Adaptation g ) • Lack of data ((local/regional) or access to information • Policy and implementation deficit • Restriction of local capacity, e.g. by lack of national-level mandate • Lack of resources • Absence of networks and partnerships on adaptation • Absence of education or community engagement • Lack of sense of disaster emergency
Modes of governance • Self-governance (by municipality) • Regulation (Command and control) • Enabling (funding, training) • Provision (information, services) • Partnership (engaging communities)
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Built environment
Transport
Urban infrastructures
Selfgoverning i
Target of 12% Ban on driving to Streetlight energy gy efficiency y work for cityy workers management g scheme incr. by 2010 (C.T.) within 5km (Yokyak.) (Yogyakarta)
Regulation
Energy Efficiency Registration Scheme (HK)
Enabling
Grant for installing Discounted public of dom. solar water transport tickets heating (Delhi) (Seoul)
Rainwater harvesting promotion (Delhi)
Provision
Installation of green 300km of bicycle roofs (Mexico City) highways by 2012 (Mexico City)
Windfarm project for Olympic Games (Beijing)
Partnership
Campaign with Flex-fuel technology local NGO on room dev. with int. manuf. temp. incr. (Beijing) (Sao Paolo)
Energy from waste plants CDM project (Sao Paolo, Mumbai)
Vehicle emissions standards for new vehicles (Mumbai)
Planning restrictions in coastal zone (Seoul)
Lessons/Insights • Built environment: – Energy conservation as critical ‘hook’ – Key sector for action also from private stakeholders – Can go beyond national building standards through ‘soft’ regulation approaches – Means of enabling action by stakeholders and communities in reducing energy use – Means of provision of information, information recognition and reward – Stakeholders outside of local government are important drivers of action in this sector, esp. the commercial built environment
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• Transportation: – Benefits from a strong link to issues high on the agenda – air pollution, pollution congestion, congestion sprawl – Provision of low carbon transport infrastructures is another means of addressing both local priorities and climate change – Reliance on planning, governance capacity and funding – Municipalities have been able to use various forms of regulation, predominantly concerning efficiency – Incentives to achieve behavioral change
• Urban infrastructures – Climate change g is a marginal g issue in the development and maintenance of urban infrastructures – Street lighting as one important approach - it saves money but requires significant investment – Reducing energy use and securing water supplies can go hand in hand with development goals – CDM or voluntary l t offsetting ff tti may provide id a resource which municipalities can use to deliver low carbon infrastructures and meet sustainability goals
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Recommendations • For municipal authorities: – Mainstream climate change • integration of climate change across different policy domains is critical to developing effective policy and action
– Use local hooks • for gaining the finances and political support necessary for f action ti
– Work together • move beyond the confines of local authorities to engage with stakeholders and communities to address climate change city wide
• For national and regional governments: – Recognise municipal role • recognise the contribution that municipal authorities can make to enable action and offer guidance
– Provide climate financing • provision of funding for initiatives and flexibility over use of municipal funds have been important
– Work together • co-ordinate between different levels of government, especially for overcoming conflicts between climate change and other social, economic and environmental priorities
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• For international agencies and transnational networks: – Recognize capacity constraints • too much emphasis on measuring, monitoring and verifying performance in future programmes may exclude a large number of cities
– Provide political support as well as finance • providing opportunities for leadership and political support are perhaps as important as providing access to additional sources of funding g for building g local capacity p y
– Engage municipalities, stakeholders and communities • develop partnership working between local stakeholders/communities and agents outside municipalities
In conclusion • To most effectively address the climate change g and adaptation p challenge g we need: mitigation – more collaboration across the city and other levels of government – financial capacity and flexibility –h human capacity it d development l t and d ttraining i i within ithi municipalities and the wider community
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Thank yyou for your y attention.
For more information, please contact: Harriet Bulkeley (
[email protected]) Heike Schroeder (
[email protected])
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