22
In this chapter, we develop a framework to analyse the inclusion of EbA in urban
climate adaptation planning, and apply it to a sample of plans in Europe. Specifically,
we aim at answering the following questions:
– What are the most common EbA measures found in urban climate adaptation
plans? To what climate change impact do they respond?
– In what parts of the planning documents are EbA measures present? How well
and how consistently are they treated?
The ultimate purpose of the chapter is to provide an overview of the current state
of the art related to the inclusion of ES in urban climate planning through EbA, and
use it to identify and discuss the main shortcoming and propose possible solutions.
3.2 Methods to Analyse Urban Climate Adaptation Plans
We focused on a sample of cities considered active in climate change adaptation, by
referring to the “C-40” initiative. The C-40 was established in 2005 as a network of
large cities worldwide that are taking action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and
to face climate risks. This sample offers the advantage of providing information on
different initiatives undertaken by cities that have been particularly active in climate
adaptation strategies. Among the cities of the C-40 database, we selected the ones
belonging to Member States of the European Union. We then gathered all the urban
climate change responses in the form of planning documents approved by the relevant municipal authority and available on the internet (see Annex II). We use the
term ‘climate adaptation plan’ to refer in general to plans that include strategies to
reduce vulnerability to climate change in cities, even though the actual name of the
plan might be different.
3.2.1 Classification of EbA Measures
As a first step, we identified and classified possible measures for EbA that are relevant for urban areas. The list of EbA proposed by EEA (2012) was revised and
integrated with other typologies found in the literature. This resulted in the classification presented in Table 3.1, where definition, rationale and supporting references
are provided for each measure. Measures are associated to the main climate change
impact they are meant to reduce, even though it is recognized that synergies occur.
For example, green roofs may contribute to reduce runoff water quantity (Berndtsson
2010), in addition to contributing to micro-climate regulation through cooling. EbA
measures play at different spatial scales, ranging from building-scale interventions
(e.g., green roofs and walls) to urban-scale interventions (e.g., citywide green corridors). Despite their difference in scale, the identified measures are all within the
scope of urban plans; hence, they can be (at least partly) implemented by actions
3 Reviewing Ecosystem Services in Urban Climate Adaptation Plans
In this chapter, we develop a framework to analyse the inclusion of EbA in urban
climate adaptation planning, and apply it to a sample of plans in Europe. Specifically,
we aim at answering the following questions:
– What are the most common EbA measures found in urban climate adaptation
plans? To what climate change impact do they respond?
– In what parts of the planning documents are EbA measures present? How well
and how consistently are they treated?
The ultimate purpose of the chapter is to provide an overview of the current state
of the art related to the inclusion of ES in urban climate planning through EbA, and
use it to identify and discuss the main shortcoming and propose possible solutions.
3.2 Methods to Analyse Urban Climate Adaptation Plans
We focused on a sample of cities considered active in climate change adaptation, by
referring to the “C-40” initiative. The C-40 was established in 2005 as a network of
large cities worldwide that are taking action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and
to face climate risks. This sample offers the advantage of providing information on
different initiatives undertaken by cities that have been particularly active in climate
adaptation strategies. Among the cities of the C-40 database, we selected the ones
belonging to Member States of the European Union. We then gathered all the urban
climate change responses in the form of planning documents approved by the relevant municipal authority and available on the internet (see Annex II). We use the
term ‘climate adaptation plan’ to refer in general to plans that include strategies to
reduce vulnerability to climate change in cities, even though the actual name of the
plan might be different.
3.2.1 Classification of EbA Measures
As a first step, we identified and classified possible measures for EbA that are relevant for urban areas. The list of EbA proposed by EEA (2012) was revised and
integrated with other typologies found in the literature. This resulted in the classification presented in Table 3.1, where definition, rationale and supporting references
are provided for each measure. Measures are associated to the main climate change
impact they are meant to reduce, even though it is recognized that synergies occur.
For example, green roofs may contribute to reduce runoff water quantity (Berndtsson
2010), in addition to contributing to micro-climate regulation through cooling. EbA
measures play at different spatial scales, ranging from building-scale interventions
(e.g., green roofs and walls) to urban-scale interventions (e.g., citywide green corridors). Despite their difference in scale, the identified measures are all within the
scope of urban plans; hence, they can be (at least partly) implemented by actions
3 Reviewing Ecosystem Services in Urban Climate Adaptation Plans