Claus, Welmoed (2021) Building institutional capacity for climate policy integration: lessons from the city of Groningen. Master thesis.
|
Text
Thesis Welmoed Claus.pdf Download (5MB) | Preview |
Abstract
To cope with the effects of climate change, many scholars and policymakers have considered climate mitigation and adaptation to be necessary. Given the complexity of the problem there is a convincingly need for climate policy to be integrated with other policy areas. Traditionally, climate mitigation and adaptation have been viewed as two independent actions by policy makers. In academia, most studies still analyse climate mitigation and adaptation in isolation. An increasing body of literature shows that the challenges related to climate policy integration are not only technical in nature, but in particular institutional. It can be argued that the divide between climate mitigation and adaptation is mainly a mental construct, which is enhanced by the different ways of framing the problem of climate change and how to solve the problem accordingly. It is the current institutional fabric as a result of this historic dichotomy that makes an integrated approach in urban planning difficult, not the incompatibility of the actions. This dichotomy between the mitigation and adaptation domains has resulted in contrasting ways of working, i.e. different policy concepts, rules, and perspectives. In this research, a focus on institutional capacity building is recommended to overcome these institutional barriers and to make the transition towards an integrated approach. The build-up of institutional capacity is important because it determines the ability of people to perform effectively its tasks and to be able to cooperate with other stakeholders. This is especially relevant to the issue of climate policy integration, because of its cross-sectoral nature and the various actors involved. Institutional capacity can be considered a fuzzy and multi- interpretable concept. Research providing recommendations and insights into how institutional capacity can be built for the topic of climate policy integration remains scarce. Institutional capacity is operationalized by using three dimensions: intellectual capital, social capital, and political capital. This research focuses on what these three capitals mean in the context of climate policy integration. To bridge the gap, an analytical framework is developed which can be used to study how medium-sized cities can build institutional capacity for integrating climate mitigation with adaptation in urban planning. The aim of this research is to gain insight in how medium-sized cities can build institutional capacity for integrating climate mitigation with adaptation in urban planning. The aim leads to the following main research questions: How can medium-sized cities build institutional capacity in order to facilitate the integration of climate mitigation with adaptation in urban planning? To be able to answer this research question a single embedded case study design is adopted. This means that both data on a strategic level and an operational level is gathered. The selected case is the city of Groningen. Within the city of Groningen, the area-based planning project Paddepoel climate-proof has been selected. In the neighbourhood Paddepoel, the construction of a heat grid was linked to objectives to make Paddepoel climate-proof. The results of the analysis show the main activities employed by the municipality of Groningen and the project organization Paddepoel climate-proof in relation to the build-up of intellectual, social, and political capital for climate policy integration. Institutional capacities at the strategic level shaped the conditions for implementing a project such as Paddepoel climate- proof. For instance, challenging existing world views and current ways of working appeared to be difficult at the strategic level. Therefore, during the project Paddepoel climate-proof integrating climate mitigation with adaptation has not always been self-evident. Lessons and best practices have been transferred towards a comparable in the neighbourhood of Selwerd. Here, it is clear from the start why a heat grid should be linked with objectives to make the neighbourhood climate adaptative and what the expected benefits are. In that sense, the municipality has built institutional capacities on a strategic level by implementing a project. This research showed the importance of a dynamic view on institutional capacity. Research about climate policy integration should therefore not be limited to the analysis of the outcomes of integrated approaches. Recommendations for Groningen and other medium-sized cities are quantifying climate adaptation, stimulating financial innovation, investing in new type of civil servant, carefully selecting market parties, developing a climate policy integration narrative, and stimulating knowledge exchange. The main contribution to planning theory is the translation of the fuzzy concept of institutional capacity into an analytical framework that can be used to study institutional capacity for in particular integrating climate mitigation with adaptation. Further research could focus on the translation of this analytical framework into a policy tool to guide planning practitioners. Other suggestions are studying more projects in medium-sized and small-sized Dutch cities by testing the presented analytical framework, analysing how lessons are being institutionalized, and taking a longitudinal perspective on integrating climate mitigation with adaptation in urban planning.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Master) |
|---|---|
| Degree programme: | Environmental & Infrastructure Planning |
| Supervisor: | Brink, M.A. van den |
| Date Deposited: | 02 Feb 2021 12:57 |
| Last Modified: | 02 Feb 2021 12:57 |
| URI: | https://frw.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/3414 |
Actions (login required)
 |
View Item |