Co-creating a climate resilient future for Europe’s cities
City planners across Europe are facing increased pressure to find new ways to help make cities more climate-resilient.
Ad Jeuken, REACHOUT project coordinator
While nearly all EU citizens will be impacted by climate change, more than two thirds of them live in cities and urban areas. “City planners across Europe are facing increased pressure to find new ways to help make cities more climate-resilient,” says Ad Jeuken, an expert advisor on climate change adaptation and water management at Dutch research centre Deltares. With the support of the EU-funded REACHOUT project, Deltares is coordinating an EU wide consortium working to help urban areas integrate climate data and information into their municipal planning, following a co-creation ethos of close collaboration between those who make the tools and those who will use them. “The project aims to further develop city-oriented climate services across Europe, especially services that provide urban areas with tailored information that can help them make decisions towards a climate-resilient future,” adds Jeuken.
Analysis, Ambition, Action
In addition to hubs in major cities such as Milan, Athens and Amsterdam, the project also set up workspaces in such smaller cities as Lillestrøm (Norway), Cork (Ireland), Gdynia (Poland) and Logrono (Spain). After assessing the needs of the cities in terms of climate data and information, project members can work on tools to support climate-resilient urban development and adaptation efforts. Next, the cities apply the proposed tools, following what the project has termed its ‘Triple-A’ approach. “These services help cities: analyse hazard, exposure and vulnerability to climate change; formulate ambitions for climate-resilient urban development; and identify, evaluate and select adaptation actions for implementation,” explains Jeuken. The various climate adaption tools, such as climate hazard mapping and models to estimate the extent and cost of flood damage, along with a guide to the co-creation process itself, will become part of the REACHOUT Triple-A Toolkit. Details can be found on the REACHOUT website. Jeuken says the focus on collaboration has already proved to benefit the participating cities. “This co-creation journey is what could be called front-end development with the cities and is central to the project’s success, while at the back end we leave behind a tested package of services and examples for others to follow.”
Keywords
REACHOUT, EU missions, cities mission, adaptation mission, climate change, projects info pack, research, innovation, resilience, sustainable, urban, climate-neutral, smart mobility, clean energy