essentials for making cities resilient
TRANSCRIPT
Mayors AdaptPromoting local leadership in adaptation to climate change
Essentials for Making Cities Resilient
15.03.15 Sendai, Japan
Sarah Hendel-Blackford, Ecofys
Essential 5: Safeguard Natural Buffers
1. Mayors Adapt & links to Making Cities Resilient
2. Essential 5: Safeguard natural buffers to enhance protective functions offered by natural ecosystems:
• European cities’ experiences: co-benefits and indicators
3. Conclusions and questions
For a Climate-Resilient Europe
• The EU Adaptation Strategy, adopted in April 2013 called for the creation of an urban adaptation initiative:
• Mayors Adapt = First pan-European initiative to support cities in leading the way on adaptation to climate change
• Launched in March 2014 by former EU Climate Commissioner Connie Hedegaard
• Voluntary commitment with political leadership at its heart!
Priority 3:Promoting action in key vulnerable sectors
Priority 1: Promoting action byMember States
Priority 2:Better informeddecision-making
What Mayors Adapt offers• Practical support offered by a dedicated Helpdesk for cities (www.mayors-
adapt.eu , telephone)
• Knowledge support via targeted guidance materials tailored to local authorities, i.e. Urban Adaptation Support Tool
• Possibilities of networking and peer-to-peer learning activities through dedicated events and city twinning
• Visibility and communication on cities’ commitment to adaptation via Signatory profiles on the website; outreach kits and guidelines for cities to communicate
• Synergies with the Covenant of Mayors and other relevant initiatives (Climate-ADAPT)
• Facilitated access to EU funding
Signatories commit to translating EU Adaptation Strategy into concrete and effective local adaptation action by either:
1. developing a comprehensive local adaptation strategy, or
2. integrating adaptation to climate change into relevant existing plans.
Links with Making Cities Resilient:How to measure and monitor progress?The Mayors Adapt monitoring & reporting framework will:
• Identify synergies and lessons learnt: We are keen to build upon the learning from other existing monitoring systems, such as Making Cities Resilient campaign and Covenant of Mayors.
• Enable cities to self-assess: enable help cities to track their own progress, to evaluate whether their climate policy is in line with the guiding principles (integrated approach, multi-stakeholder participation, no-regret options, etc.) and identify potential areas for improvement.
• Be flexible and adapted to local realities: We will test whether the reporting framework developed meets cities’ needs and expectations through a consultation process involving a Practitioners’ Group.
• Be simple, easy-to-use: Avoid superfluous administrative burden to Mayors Adapt signatories (a concern raised by many cities during the consultation phase). Possibilities: A simple self-assessment checklist and linked to their city profiles.
Links with Making Cities Resilient: All Essentials count for adaptation!
:Mayors Adapt Signatories commit to a step-
by-step approach:
Links to the 10 Essentials
1. Prepare the ground: secure commitment and ensure
management
1. Organising for disaster resilience
3. Strengthen financial capacity,
6. Strengthen institutional capacity.
2. Assess risks and vulnerabilities as a basis to prioritise
adaptation actions (past, future changes over time)
2. Identify, understand and use currentand future risk scenarios
3. Identify adaptation options (incl. existing good practice) 4. Urban development, 5. Natural buffers, 7. Strengthen societal capacity, 8. Infrastructure resilience9. Ensure effective disaster response
4. Assess adaptation options (CBA, trade-offs, Co-benefits) 3. Strengthen financial capacity, 6. Strengthen insistutional capacity
5. Implement adaptation options (strategy /plans) 7. Strengthen societal capacity
6. Regularly monitor and evaluate progress:
• adjust local adaptation strategy accordingly;
• or the respective relevant adaptation documents
Implementation Progress Report (2 years)
6. Strengthen institutional capacity10. Expedite recovery and build back better
Essential 5: Safeguard natural buffers to enhance protective functions offered by natural ecosystems
What does this mean?
1. Recognising value and benefits from ecosystem services for disaster risk prevention, protect and /or enhance them as part of risk reduction strategies for cities.
2. Integrating ecosystem services for more urban resilience into urban land use management, urban design and into relevant investment projects.
3. Considering also natural buffers in the rural hinterland of the city and wider region, and cooperation with municipalities there to establish a regional approach of land use planning to protect the buffers.
4. Anticipating changes from climate trends and urbanization and planning to enable ecosystem services to withstand these.
Essential 5: Safeguard natural buffers European examples: co-benefits, indicators1. Munich, Germany: Isar-Plan project
Actions: reinforced river banks, removal of concrete embankments, establishment of typical river habitats.
Co-benefits:
1. Flood control and protection by increasing the water retention capacity
2. Nature conservation: increased natural habits, biodiversity, improved water quality
3. Recreation: increased access to waterline, attractive landscape and views
In the process of developing a comprehensive monitoring programme.
Indicators:
• Monitoring programme under development, includes increased capacity for water flow to 12 m3/s to 17 m3/s,
• Possible indicators could include: increased recreational space km2 within a dense urban area; increased visitors
The Isar River area has become a popular place for recreational activities in Munich.
Essential 5: Safeguard natural buffers European examples: co-benefits, indicators2. Pontevico, Italy
Safeguarding natural buffers in the rural hinterland of the city and wider region, cooperation with municipalities
Actions: Since 2010 carried out flood prevention and restoration work , including stabilizing the river bed with rocks and planting 4,000 trees along the river
Partnering with 33 other towns to protect biodiversity along the Oglio River
Co-benefits:
1. habitat creation, migration corridors
2. carbon sequestration
3. landscape enhancement
Possible indicators could include:
• increased water flow capacity, • km2 habitat creation, • % of green areas with native species
Pontevico has undertaken a number of flood prevention measures in and around the Oglio River.
Essential 5: Safeguard natural buffers European examples: co-benefits, indicators
2. Burgas, Bulgaria
Urban design to maximize green spaces
A series of integrated green infrastructure projects to reduce heat stress
Actions include creation of green spaces, water surfaces, and vegetation pergolas in pedestrian areas.
Co-benefits:
• reduced need for air-conditioning
• improved air quality
• improved the overall quality of life of citizens
Possible indicators could include:
- Lower cooling loads: reduced air conditioning demand
A leafy pergola installed on a pedestrian street, Burgas.
Conclusions
Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E): What to measure?
- Information on monitoring and indicators development and examples via Urban Adaptation Support Tool: www.climate-adapt.ee.europa.eu/tools/urbanast
- Ensure:
- Appropriate M&E provisions for both your adaptation policy's objectives and adaptation options are developed
- All stakeholders with a role and responsibility for implementation are involved in the M&E process
- The M&E approach is tailored to the type and scale of activity and the purpose is clearly communicated and agreed
- Process indicators (for building adaptive capacity) are still useful as well as outcome based indicators (delivering adaptation outcomes and actions), especially for early starters
- Let cities select most appropriate indicators according to their priorities
- Be careful what you measure! Careful indicator development and selection
About the Mayors Adapt consortium
An international consultancy in energy & climate policy, energy & carbon efficiency, renewable energy and energy systems & markets.
The European umbrella association of local and regional governments, working across 41 European countries and representing all levels of territories.
A European network of municipalities committed to climate protection.
The network of major European cities.
A consultancy linking scientific research to policy in the area of sustainable development.
An international strategy and communications consultancy.
