Adaptation to Climate Change as a Key Dimension of Urban Regeneration in Europe: The Cases of Copenhagen, Vienna, and Madrid

Abstract

AbstractUrban regeneration emerged during the 1990s as a policy area aimed at addressing urban decay through a novel approach to overcoming the limitations rooted in physical sectoral transformation. From that point on, a number of integrating mechanisms and relevant topics have emerged in this field, aimed at resolving current urban problems. At this juncture, when climate change has now been recognized as one of the most pressing urban challenges, urban regeneration needs to integrate adaptation to climate change as a crucial basis for action toward resilient urban transformation. This study springs from the recognition of the relevance of this policy approach, the analysis of which is undertaken focusing on three European cities – Copenhagen, Vienna, and Madrid – to understand whether and how the three municipalities are currently integrating adaptation to climate change within their urban regeneration programs. This objective is addressed through a mixed qualitative methodology that uses the case study approach to analyze the policy process, drivers, and obstacles that are fostering or limiting that vision in each local context. The research responds to the questions posed, showing the transformative capacity of integrating adaptation explicitly in the “common” regeneration practice of municipalities, the relevance of the development of local capacity as a crucial element for that, and other main factors that enable cities to advance or keep rooted in “traditional practices.”