Speaker
Description
Climate change adaptation strategies require a spectrum of actions, from incremental adjustments to transformative changes in societal systems. Transformation involves shifting the foundational attributes of these systems, such as value systems, regulations, financial institutions, and technologies (IPCC, 2012, p. 4). However, despite its potential, transformative climate governance faces significant challenges in implementation, often remaining secondary to business-as-usual interests and traditional policy approaches. There is an urgent need for paradigm shifts within institutional and organizational structures prioritizing climate action across scales and sectors.
The AGREE (Advancing Cultural Heritage Governance for Resilient Climate Adaptation) project focuses on governance frameworks and investigates the role of policy portfolios in facilitating and implementing transformative change (Hurlimann, 2024). This paper explores the intersections of cultural heritage conceptualizations, climate adaptation policies, and Climate Risk Management (CRM) across three European case studies: Kingston upon Hull (UK), Lillehammer (Norway), and Turin (Italy). Using Guzman and Daily's (2021) conceptual framework for Policy Integration analysis, the study examines how cultural heritage is understood and operationalized and how these understandings enable or hinder synergies across governance sectors at national and local levels, with flooding as a common climate risk exacerbated by climate change.
The paper also investigates the potential of the Historic Urban Landscape (HUL) concept to drive transformative policy and planning, aligning heritage conservation with broader societal and climate adaptation goals. Findings highlight the importance of vertical and horizontal policy coherence in integrating heritage conservation into sustainable and equitable climate adaptation practices. By exploring the intersection of cultural heritage management and climate adaptation in policy portfolios, the research contributes to identifying ways to not only respond to climate change but also unlock the potential of broader governmental sectors to transform their practices for sustainable societal development. Preliminary results suggest several key policy recommendations: enhancing integration by aligning fragmented planning processes, bridging gaps between strategic frameworks and operational decisions, and identifying entry points for transformative change through a shift from reactive to proactive risk management approaches. The AGREE project illustrates how coordinated efforts can leverage cultural heritage as an asset for sustainability and resilience in urban contexts.
References
Guzman, P. and Daly, C. (2021) Cultural Heritage in Climate Planning; The HiCLIP Pilot Project for Understanding the Integration of Culture into Climate Action. A report on the Climate Heritage Network WG4 HiCLIP project. ICOMOS
Hurlimann, A., March, A., Bush, J., Moosavi, S., Browne, G. R., & Warren-Myers, G. (2024). Climate change transformation in built environments–A policy instrument framework. Urban Climate, 53, 101771.
IPCC (2012). Managing the Risks of Extreme Events and Disasters to Advance
Climate Change Adaptation. A Special Report of Working Groups I and II of the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [Field, C.B., V. Barros, T.F. Stocker, D.
Qin, D.J. Dokken, K.L. Ebi, M.D. Mastrandrea, K.J. Mach, G.-K. Plattner, S.K. Allen,
M. Tignor, and P.M. Midgley (eds.)]. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK,
and New York, NY, USA, 582 pp.
| Keywords | transformative change, policy integration, Historic Urban Landscape, adaptation governance |
|---|---|
| Best Congress Paper Award | Yes |
