Implementing European climate adaptation policy. How local policymakers react to European policy
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.6092/1970-9870/2918Keywords:
Climate Adaptation, EU, Transnational City Networks, Netherlands, Adaptive CapacityAbstract
EU policy and projects have an increasing influence on policymaking for climate adaptation. This is especially evident in the development of new climate adaptation policies in transnational city networks. Until now, climate adaptation literature has paid little attention to the influence that these EU networks have on the adaptive capacity in cities. This paper uses two Dutch cities as an empirical base to evaluate the influence of two EU climate adaptation projects on both the experience of local public officials and the adaptive capacity in the respective cities. The main conclusion is that EU climate adaptation projects do not automatically lead to an increased adaptive capacity in the cities involved. This is due to the political opportunistic use of EU funding, which hampers the implementation of climate adaptation policies. Furthermore, these EU projects draw attention away from local network building focused on the development and implementation of climate adaptation policies. These factors have a negative cumulative impact on the performance of these transnational policy networks at the adaptive capacity level in the cities involved. Therefore, in order to strengthen the adaptive capacity in today’s European cities, a context-specific, integrative approach in urban planning is needed at all spatial levels. Hence, policy entrepreneurs should aim to create linkage between the issues in the transnational city network and the concerns in local politics and local networks.
Downloads
References
Adger, W.N., Arnell, N. & Tompkins, E. (2005). Successful adaptation to climate change across scales. Global Environmental Change, 15(2). 77-86.
Adger, W.N. (2010). Climate change, human well-being and insecurity. New Political Economy, 15(2). 275–292.
Adger, W.N., Agrawala, S., Mirza, MNQ, Conde, C., O’Brien, C.K., Pulhin, J., et al. (2007). Assessment of adaptation practices, options, constraints and capacity. In: Parry, M.L., Canziani, O.F., Palutikof, J.P., Van der Linden, P.J. & Hanson, C.E. (eds) Climate Change 2007: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability. Cambridge: University Press. 717-743.
Adger, W.N., Dessai, S., Goulden, M., Hume, M., Lorenzoni, I., Nelson, D., et al. (2009). Are there social limits to adaptation to climate change? Climate Change, 93(3). 335-354.
Biesbroek, G.R., Swart, R.J., Carter, T.R., Cowan, C., Henrichs, T., Mela, H., et al. (2010). Europe adapts to climate change: comparing national adaptation strategies. Global Environmental Change, 20(3). 440–450.
Biesbroek, R., Klostermann, J., Termeer, C. & Kabat, P. (2011). Barriers to climate change adaptation in the Netherlands. Climate Law, 2(2). 181-199.
Birkland, T. (1998). Focusing events, mobilization, and agenda setting. Journal of Public Policy, 18(1). 53-74.
Blanco, H., Alberti, M., Forsyth, A., Krizek, K., Rodrígues, D., Talen, E., et al. (2009). Hot, congested, crowded and diverse: Emerging research agendas in planning. Progress in Planning, 71(4).153-205.
Carter, J. (2011). Climate change adaptation in European cities. Environmental Sustainability, 3(3). 193–198.
CEC (2009). Adapting to Climate Change: Towards a European framework for Action. Brussels: Commission of the European Communities.
CEC (2007). Adapting to Climate Change in Europe – options for EU Action. Brussels: Commission of the European Communities.
Colucci, A. (2012). Towards resilient cities: Comparing approaches/strategies. Tema. Journal Of Land Use, Mobility And Environment, 2012(2). 101–116.
De Boer, J. (2010). On the Relationship between Risk Perception and Climate Proofing. Amsterdam: Vrije Universiteit.
De Bruin, K., Dellink, R., Ruijs, A., Bolwidt, L., Van Buuren, A., Graveland, J., et al. (2009). Adapting to climate change in the Netherlands: an inventory of climate adaptation options and ranking of alternatives. Climate Change, 95(1/2). 23-45.
De Lange, M., Mastop, H. & Spit, T. (1997). Performance of national policies. Environment and Planning B, 24(6). 845-858.
Deltacommissie (2008). Samen Werken met Water. The Hague: Deltacommissie.
Dolowitz, D., & Marsh, D. (2000). Learning from abroad: The role of policy transfer in contemporary policy-making. Governance, 13(1). 5-24.
Dumollard, G., & Leseur, A. (2011). Drawing up a National Adaptation Policy: Feedback on Five European Case Studies. Paris: CDC Climate Research.
Füssel, H.M. (2007). Adaptation planning for climate change. Sustainability Science, 2. 265-275.
Galderisi, A., & Ferrara, F.F. (2012). Enhancing urban resilience in face of climate change. Tema. Journal Of Land Use, Mobility And Environment, 2012(2). 69–87.
Galderisi, A. (2014). Climate change adapation: Challenges and opportunities for smart urban growth. Tema. Journal Of Land Use, Mobility And Environment, 2014(1). 43–67.
Hartmann, T. (2011). Clumsy floodplains: Responsive land policy for extreme floods. Farnham, Surrey: Ashgate.
Hartmann, T. (2012). Wicked problems and clumsy solutions: Planning as expectation management. Planning Theory, 11(3). 242–256.
Hartmann, T., & Hengstermann, A. (2014). Territorial cohesion through spatial policies. Central European Journal of Public Policy, 8(1). 30–49.
Hartmann, T., & Needham, B. (eds) (2012). Planning by law and property rights reconsidered. Farnham: Ashgate.
Hartmann, T. & Spit, T.J.M. (2012). Managing riverside property: Spatial water management in Germany from a Dutch perspective. In T. Hartmann & B. Needham (Eds.), Planning by law and property rights reconsidered. Farnham, Surrey: Ashgate. 97-116.
Hartmann, T., & Spit, T. (2014). Capacity Building for Integrating Climate Adaptation into Urban Planning Processes: the Dutch Experience. American Journal of Climate Change, 3(3). 245-252.
Hartmann, T., & Spit, T. (2015). Dilemmas of involvement in land management – Comparing an active (Dutch) and a passive (German) approach. Land Use Policy, 42. 729–737.
Heinelt, H., & Niederhafner, S. (2008). Cities and organised interest intermediation in the EU multi-level system. European Urban and Regional Studies, 15(2). 173–87.
Holstein, A.N., & Schwaberger, C. (2011). How the INTERREG IVC project “GRaBS” can change European Cities. REALCORP 2011 Proceedings. Essen: Germany.
Huitema, D, & Meijerink, S (2010). Realizing water transitions. Ecology and Society, 15(2). 26.
Huitema, D., Jordan, D., Massey, E. Rayner, T., Van Asselt, H., Haug, C., et al. (2011). The evaluation of climate policy. Policy Sciences, 44(2). 179-198.
Hunt, A., & Watkiss, P. (2007). Literature Review on Climate Change Impacts on Urban City Centres. Paris: OECD.
IPCC (2014) Climate Change 2014: Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability: IPCC WGII AR5 Chapter 23. Retrieved: www.ipcc.ch
Kamal-Chaoui, L., & Robert, A. (2009). Competitive Cities and Climate Change. Paris: OECD.
Keiner, M., & Kim, A. (2007). Transnational city networks for sustainability. European Planning Studies, 5(10). 1369-1395.
Kern, K., & Bulkeley, H. (2009). Cities, Europeanization and multi-level governance: governing climate change through transnational municipal networks. Journal of Common Market Studies, 47(2). 309–332.
Klijn, E.H., & Koppenjan, J. (2000). Public management and policy networks, foundations of a network approach to governance. Public Management 2(2). 135-158.
Kokx, A., & Van Kempen, R. (2010). Dutch urban governance? European Urban and Regional Studies, 17(4). 355-369.
Koppenjan, J., & Klijn, E.H. (2004). Managing Uncertainties in Networks. London: Routledge.
Lindblom, C.E. (1959). The science of ‘‘muddling through’’. Public Administration Review, 19(2): 79–88.
Lorenzoni, I., Nicholson-Cole, S., & Whitmarsh, L. (2007). Barriers to engaging with climate change among the UK public and their policy implications. Global Environmental Change, 17(3/4). 445-459.
March, J., & Olsen, J.P. (1976). Ambiguity and Choice in Organisations. Bergen: Universitetsforlaget.
Mastop, H. (1997). Performance in Dutch spatial planning: an introduction. Environment and Planning B, 24(6). 807-813.
Mees, H. and Driessen, P. (2011). Adaptation to climate change in urban areas. Climate Law 2011, (2). 251-280.
Mintrom, M., & Norman, P. (2009). Policy entrepreneurship and policy change. Policy Studies Journal, 37(4): 649-667.
Nelson, D., Adger, W., & Brown, K. (2007). Adaptation to environmental change: contributions of a resilience framework. Annual Review of Environment and Resources, (32). 395-419.
Papa, R. (2012). Editorial preface: Resilient cities. Tema. Journal Of Land Use, Mobility And Environment, 2012(2). 5–6.
PBL (Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency) (2011). Een delta in beweging. The Hague: PBL.
Pinto, F. (2014). Urban planning and climate change: Adaptation and mitigation strategies. Tema. Journal Of Land Use, Mobility And Environment, 2014(Special Issue). 830–840.
Reinhardt, M. (2008) Identität und Zukunft des Wasserrechts als Bestandteil eines Umweltgesetzbuchs. ZUR, (7-8). 352–357.
Rhodes, R. (2000). Governance and public administration. In: Pierre J (ed) Debating Governance. Oxford: University Press. 54-90.
Runhaar, H., Driessen, P., & Snoer, L. (2009). Sustainable urban development and the challenge of policy integration. Environment and Planning B 36(3): 417-431.
Sabatier, P., & Jenkins-Smith, H. (1993). Policy Change and Learning. Boulder: Westview.
Stigt, R. van, Driessen, P., & Spit, T. (2015) A user perspective on the gap between science and decision-making. Local administrators’ views on expert knowledge in urban planning. Environmental Science and Policy, 47. 167-176.
Teisman, G., Van Buuren, A., & Gerrits, L. (2009). Managing Complex Governance Systems, Dynamics, Self-organisation and Coevolutions in Public Investments. London: Routledge.
Uittenbroek, C.J. (2014). How mainstream is mainstreaming? The integration of climate adaptation into urban policy. Utrecht: Utrecht University.
Van Buuren, A., Edelenbos, J., Eshuis, J, Klijn, E.H., Nooteboom. S., & Teisman, G. (2007). Feasibility of adaptation options. In: Van Ierland, E.C., De Bruin, K., Dellink, R.B. & Ruijs, A. (eds) Routeplanner naar een Klimaatbestendig Nederland, Adaptatiestrategieën. Wageningen: WUR. 68-73.
Vonk, G., Geertman, S., & Schot, P. (2005) Bottlenecks blocking widespread usage of planning support systems. Environment and Planning A, (37). 909-924.
VROM (Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment) (2007). Maak Ruimte voor Klimaat! Nationale Adaptatie Strategie. The Hague: VROM, et al..
VROM (Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment) (2010). Doorwerking van Klimaatadaptatie in Ruimtelijke Plannen. VROM-Inspectie. The Hague: VROM.
Wegener, M. (2012). Government or governance? The challenge of planning for sustainability in the Ruhr. In: Hartmann, T., & Needham, B. (eds.) Planning by law and property rights reconsidered. Farnham: Ashgate. 157–168.
Witte, P. (2014). The Corridor Chronicles. Integrated perspectives on European transport corridor development. Delft: Eburon.
Witte, P., & Spit, T. (2014). Sectoral drawbacks in transport: Towards a new analytical framework on European transport corridors. In: Isabella, M.L. (ed) Analytical Decision-Making Methods for Evaluating Sustainable Transport in European Corridors. Berlin: Springer. 47-62.
Downloads
Additional Files
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Authors who publish in this journal agree to the following:
1. Authors retain the rights to their work and give in to the journal the right of first publication of the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons License - Attribution that allows others to share the work indicating the authorship and the initial publication in this journal.
2. Authors can adhere to other agreements of non-exclusive license for the distribution of the published version of the work (ex. To deposit it in an institutional repository or to publish it in a monography), provided to indicate that the document was first published in this journal.
3. Authors can distribute their work online (ex. In institutional repositories or in their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges and it can increase the quotations of the published work (See The Effect of Open Access)
