This document discusses developing a continuum of climate change adaptation strategies for urban planning. It proposes 5 entry points along the adaptation continuum: ensuring basic planning services, managing current disaster risks, building adaptation capacity, enhancing spatial planning for future risks, and preparing for additional climate change impacts. For each entry point, the document will benchmark good practices from cities around the world and develop initial strategies appropriate to the entry point. An example strategy discussed is documenting local flooding incidents to build understanding of flood hazards and vulnerabilities.

1. Locating urban strategies
in a continuum of climate change
adaptation
T E Downing, L Downing, F Zermoglio, C Lacambra, M Hamza
Brainstorming on urban adaptation
15 November 2012
For internal use 15 November 2012
T Downing et al.

2. Abstract
Urban planning is a particular entry point for climate change adaptation. As its own
community of practice, it comes with visions and procedures, concepts and definitions,
and frameworks. In working with this community, as with any end-user, our aim is to
develop solutions that fit within their reference points.
To this end, we are developing:
• Five entry points that correspond to different stages in a continuum of adaptation
• Benchmarking each entry point in terms of urban planning with examples from around
the world
• Initial assessments of where we expect a sample of cities we are working with to be
located in this continuum
• A set of strategies that are appropriate to each entry point, taking the location in the
continuum as guidance for urgent priorities and competence in moving forward
T Downing, C Lacambra

3. Brainstorming a continuum of adaptation
Key:
Dashed: baseline
Solid: early action
Double: vision and future strategy
Prepare for additional
climate change impacts
Build capacity for climate
change adaptation
Manage Enhance spatial
current planning for
disaster risks future risks
Ensure basic planning
services

4. Benchmarks
For each entry point…
• Ensure basic planning services
• Manage current disaster risks
• Build capacity for climate adaptation
• Enhance spatial planning for future risks
• Prepare for additional climate change impacts
There are different requirements and strategies…
Moving forward from one level to the next is a choice…

5. Working on a template
Strategy name [photo/graphic]
Rationale
Benchmark/use case Good practice example/reference
[place] [sector]
Objective
Activities Outcomes
* *
* *
* *

6. Illustrative example
Document incidences of local flooding
Flooding ranges from major disasters along rivers to
local hot spots of inundation during intense rainfalls.
Building up a picture of where flooding occurs helps
people to understand the many aspects of the
hazard, as well as who is vulnerable and what can be
done.
Dar es Salaam Oxford developed a data base of weather-related
With very little relief, local flooding ties up traffic as events, compiled from newspapers and interviews
well as damages key infrastructure with key managers. The data helped identify impacts,
but also recorded what managers felt they could do
to reduce the economic cost of short-term events. It
has been helpful in mainstreaming adaptation within
existing maintenance and infrastructure budgets.
Objective: Monitor local flood impacts and Lead stakeholder: City of Dar es Salaam, supported
responses by key agencies, beginning with an by relevant ministries and in association with the
historical baseline of events since 2000. University of Dar es Salaam (commissioned to
develop the reporting template and baseline)
Activities Outcomes
* Develop baseline and template for reporting * Shared, documented data base of weather-related
* Record events as they occur over a 3 year test flood events including estimates of impacts and
project responses
* Produce an annual review to validate the data and * Raised awareness and initial procedures for
disseminate early lessons learned reducing flood damages within existing agencies and
budgets