The Quest for Adaptation through Spatial Planning and Ecosystem-Based Tools in Resilience Strategies

Abstract

As climate change and other interdependent challenges are expected to become increasingly acute and unpredictable, so the need for policies and measures to reduce risks and uncertainties in order to adapt to these changes becomes more imperative. Cities can influence their adaptation, resilience, and eventually their sustainability through spatial planning with the use of more ecosystem-based planning tools, such as Green Infrastructure (GI). The present paper is an attempt to assess whether and how city strategies address the objective of an adaptation which interconnects the criteria of vulnerability, adaptability, and resilience through spatial planning. For this purpose, the paper examines the Resilience Strategies of seven European cities of the 100 Resilient Cities initiative (100RC). Based on a thematic analysis, the paper investigates whether these strategies incorporate a spatial planning approach which contributes to adaptation to climate change, focusing on GI as a spatial planning tool. The paper argues that there is room for improvement in all the examined strategies, as none of them fully incorporate the concept of GI, and, furthermore, that some critical planning principles which contribute to adaptation are missing.