Toward more flood resilience Hegger, Dries L. T.; Driessen, Peter P. J.; Wiering, Mark ...
Ecology and society,
12/2016, Letnik:
21, Številka:
4
Journal Article
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European countries face increasing flood risks because of urbanization, increase of exposure and damage potential, and the effects of climate change. In literature and in practice, it is argued that ...a diversification of strategies for flood risk management (FRM), including flood risk prevention (through proactive spatial planning), flood defense, flood risk mitigation, flood preparation, and flood recovery, makes countries more flood resilient. Although this thesis is plausible, it should still be empirically scrutinized. We aim to do this. Drawing on existing literature we operationalize the notion of “flood resilience” into three capacities: capacity to resist; capacity to absorb and recover; and capacity to transform and adapt. Based on findings from the EU FP7 project STAR-FLOOD, we explore the degree of diversification of FRM strategies and related flood risk governance arrangements at the national level in Belgium, England, France, the Netherlands, Poland, and Sweden, as well as these countries’ achievement in terms of the three capacities. We found that the Netherlands and to a lesser extent Belgium have a strong capacity to resist, France a strong capacity to absorb and recover, and especially England a high capacity to transform and adapt. Having a diverse portfolio of FRM strategies in place may be conducive to high achievements related to the capacities to absorb/recover and to transform and adapt. Hence, we conclude that diversification of FRM strategies contributes to resilience. However, the diversification thesis should be nuanced in the sense that there are different ways to be resilient. First, the three capacities imply different rationales and normative starting points for flood risk governance, the choice between which is inherently political. Second, we found trade-offs between the three capacities, e.g., being resistant seems to lower the possibility to be absorbent. Third, to explain countries’ achievements in terms of resilience, the strategies’ feasibility in specific physical circumstances and their fit in existing institutional contexts (appropriateness), as well as the establishment of links between strategies, through bridging mechanisms, have also been shown to be crucial factors. We provide much needed reflection on the implications of this diagnosis for governments, private parties, and citizens who want to increase flood resilience.
Even a cursory glance at the literature on environmental impact assessment (EIA) reveals that public participation is being considered as an integral part of the assessment procedure. Public ...participation in EIA is commonly deemed to foster democratic policy-making and to render EIA more effective. Yet a closer look at the literature unveils that, beyond this general assertion, opinions of the precise meaning, objectives and adequate representation of public participation in EIA considerably diverge. Against this background, in this article we aim to provide a comprehensive overview of the academic debate on public participation in EIA concerning its meaning, objectives and adequate level of inclusiveness. In so doing, we hope to stimulate a more focused debate on the subject, which is key to advancing the research agenda. Furthermore, this paper may serve as a starting point for practitioners involved in defining the role of public participation in EIA practice.
•There is little reflection on the meaning, objectives and adequate level of inclusiveness of public participation in EIA.•We provide a comprehensive overview of the academic debate on public participation in EIA concerning the meaning, objectives and adequate level of inclusiveness.•Theoretical claims put forth by scholars are contrasted with empirical evidence.•Overview shall stimulate a more focused debate on the subject.•This paper may serve as a starting point for practitioners involved in defining the role of public participation in EIA.
There is a growing scientific debate regarding the suitability of certain modes of governance for promoting sustainable development (SD). However, thus far there is neither agreement on ways to ...meaningfully distinguish and understand governance modes nor a foundation of the aspects to be chosen for this endeavour. In order to overcome this conceptual vagueness, this paper presents a meta-framework for a sound conceptualization of governance modes. Founded on a reinterpretation of the discourse ‘from government to governance’, we argue that only a multi-dimensional approach giving consideration to political processes (politics), institutional structures (polity) and policy content (policy) adequately captures the complexity of governance phenomena. We furthermore highlight possible key features for exploring these dimensions and compare three recently published frameworks for modes of governance. By offering a sound conceptual clarification of governance modes, we facilitate both their meaningful differentiation and a more systematic understanding of their inherent complexity. In so doing, we inform both theoretical and empirical research on governance for SD. We pave the way not only for making more differentiated theoretical statements on the relationship between governance modes and SD but also for empirically exploring this relationship on a profound basis.
Local governments are experimenting with low-carbon initiatives (LCIs) to learn how the transition to low-carbon cities can be advanced. However, little is known about how local governments can ...capitalize on what has been learned and use it to accelerate scaling-up processes. This paper explores the complex relationship between LCIs and learning processes at the level of local government. The issue is examined through an explorative embedded case study in the City of Copenhagen, a sustainability frontrunner. The paper makes three contributions that enrich literature and practice concerning climate governance for sustainability transitions. First, it offers an overview of two types of knowledge that can be derived from LCIs to accelerate scaling-up processes: instrumental and transformative knowledge. Second, the paper provides a concrete overview of learning practices for governing learning processes within local government. Local governments can learn from LCIs through four categories of practice: experience accumulation, knowledge articulation, knowledge codification, and knowledge distribution. Finally, the paper offers an overview of explanatory factors related to the motivation, resources, and skills that influence a local government's capacity to learn from LCIs. The findings particularly highlight the importance of setting a mandate for experimenting with and evaluating LCIs.
•Local government must learn from low-carbon initiatives to promote their scaling-up.•Instrumental and transformative knowledge can be derived from low-carbon initiatives.•Learning results from an interplay of motivation, resources and skills.
European urban agglomerations face increasing flood risks due to urbanization and the effects of climate change. These risks are addressed at European, national and regional policy levels. A ...diversification and alignment of Flood Risk Management Strategies (FRMSs) can make vulnerable urban agglomerations more resilient to flooding, but this may require new Flood Risk Governance Arrangements (FRGAs) or changes in existing ones. While much technical knowledge on Flood Risk Management is available, scientific insights into the actual and/or necessary FRGAs so far are rather limited and fragmented. This article addresses this knowledge gap by presenting a research approach for assessing FRGAs. This approach allows for the integration of insights from policy scientists and legal scholars into one coherent framework that can be used to identify Flood Risk Management Strategies and analyse Flood Risk Governance Arrangements. In addition, approaches for explaining and evaluating (shifts in) FRGAs are introduced. The research approach is illustrated by referring to the rise of the Dutch risk-based approach called ‘multi-layered safety’ and more specifically its application in the city of Dordrecht. The article is concluded with an overview of potential next steps, including comparative analyses of FRGAs in different regions. Insights in these FRGAS are crucial to enable the identification of action perspectives for flood risk governance for actors at the level of the EU, its member states, regional authorities, and public-private partnerships.
Climate change is associated with various risks, such as flooding and heat stress. So far, most research has concentrated on the identification and quantification of these risks as well as the ...development of adaptation measures. Yet much less is known about how planners actually perceive and deal with climate change, and why. This paper focuses on the governance of two climate change-related risks in urban areas in the Netherlands, namely heat stress and flooding from rainfall and rivers. Heat stress hardly seems to be perceived as an urgent problem, mainly because there is no clear ‘problem owner’. Because municipalities are responsible for rain and sewage water management and partly for river flooding, increased flood risk is more often recognised as a (potential) problem. Despite the rather low sense of urgency regarding these two climate change-induced risks, urban planners are, or envisage, investing in more open water and public green areas. Heat stress and flood risks from rainfall are not the reasons per se, but primarily act as
additional
arguments to legitimise these measures, which should contribute to sustainable urban development in general. Our analysis suggests a gap between the perceived urgency of proactive adaptation to climate change by scientists and the perceptions of planners. Climate science research could enhance its contribution to urban planning by providing conceivable projections of climate change impacts as well as by developing adaptation measures that serve multiple purposes and strategies to successfully implement these.
Forest policy implementation is a political endeavor involving both state and non-state actors. We observe that civil society organizations (CSOs) often federate into civil society-led coalitions ...(CSCs) in order to shape forest policies in their favor. They appear to be successful in doing this during the policy design phase but we know little about whether they are able to see through to implementation the changes they have put in motion. Analyzing CSC strategies during policy implementation could help to explain variation in the extent to which forest policies are successfully implemented. This paper analyzes the strategy choices and potential impact during policy implementation of a loose CSC comprised of CSOs, activists, people’s movements, researchers, and lawyers that advocates for the full implementation of the Forest Rights Act in India. Drawing from the Advocacy Coalition Framework’s focus on belief systems, complemented by insights from political ecology and civil society/social movements literature, we develop a framework to analyze CSC strategy choices. Our analysis is conducted at the national level and in two states, Andhra Pradesh and Odisha. We employ qualitative research methods, including 38 interviews with CSC and non-CSC members, and a comprehensive analysis of the main CSC listserv and 1000 relevant English language newspaper articles. Our study reveals that the CSC employs a range of conflictive and collaborative strategies in its attempts to influence state-led implementation processes, at both national and state levels. It draws on a loose, heterogeneous network with ability to connect internally and a clear moral justification of its involvement in FRA implementation. However the diverse range of views on the implementation issues held by CSC members, lack of dedicated funding for coordination, limited legitimacy in the eyes of some state actors and a constricting wider institutional setting, impedes the CSC’s ability to make coalition-level strategy decisions. Our results lead us to argue that CSCs are undoubtedly active in forest policy implementation at the national level and in the two states analyzed, though limited coordination of strategies potentially restricts their impact on the policy implementation process.
Environmental problems are often multi-faceted and complex by nature, consisting of diverse, intertwined dimensions. In this article, we argue that environmental problem characteristics have ...consequences for the selection of appropriate governance modes, and finally on policy effectiveness. We rely on an in-depth literature review to proceed in two steps. First, we outline three key environmental problem characteristics: uncertainties, cause-effect mismatches and norm plurality. We then outline six different governance modes capable of producing policies and solutions to tackle challenges arising from the three problem characteristics. Next, through empirical illustrations, we demonstrate the relevance of linking governance modes to these characteristics via the introduction and articulation of the concept of 'connectivity', i.e., linking actors, issues, sectors and scale levels towards realizing effective policy solutions for complex environmental problems.
In cities worldwide, low-carbon urban initiatives (LCUIs) are realised by pioneers that prove that climate mitigation strategies can be integrated in urban development trajectories. Practitioners and ...scholars reflect on the need to scale-up such initiatives in order to accelerate the transition to low-carbon cities. Yet, limited conceptual clarity exists regarding the meaning of the concept of ‘scaling-up’ and the factors driving this process. This article aims to contribute to practice and theory on low-carbon urban development by presenting a taxonomy on the concept of scalingup. Moreover, an explanatory framework is presented consisting of factors expected to contribute to the impact and scaling-up of LCUIs. Two case studies were conducted to illustrate the explanatory framework. The studies are illustrative but suggest that the explanatory framework allows for a systematic understanding of how the impact of former initiatives can be explained, and how their scaling-up can be promoted.
在全球各个城市，先驱者们实施了低碳城市举措（LCUI) ，证明气候缓解战略可以融入城市发 展轨迹。从业人员和学者反思需要扩展这些举措，以加快向低碳城市的转型。然而，关于“扩 展” 概念的意义和驱动这一过程的因素，其概念清晰度依然有限。本文旨在通过提出“扩展” 概念的分类法，为低碳城市发展的实践和理论做出贡献。此外，本文提出了一个解释性框架， 纳入了有助于扩大LCUI影响和扩展LCUI本身的因素。我们开展了两项案例研宄来说明这一解 释性框架。这些研宄是说明性的，但表明该解释性框架能便于系统地了解如何解释先前各项举 措的影响，以及如何扩展其规模化影响。
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