Rain in the city - a study of strategic navigation in climate adaptation projects

Abstract

Klimaforandringernes effekt viser sig stadigt oftere. I Danmark kommer dette især til udtryk ved kraftigere og mere hyppige skybrud. Disse medfører oversvømmede kældre, opstuvning af spildevand og udledning af forurenet vand til naturlige vandområder. Dette kan hurtigt blive en omkostningstung affære. For at forhindre dette er klimatilpasning et voksende behov i de fleste byområder i Danmark, og over de sidste par årtier har klimatilpasningsprojekter fået øget opmærksomhed. Traditionelt ville man udvide kloakkerne for at rumme de stigende vandmasser. Men denne løsning er dyr, og den medfører ikke muligheder for øvrige forbedringer af byområderne. En anden og stadigt mere populær tilgang er lokal afledning af regnvand (LAR); overfladeløsninger, der håndterer vand synligt og lokalt. Disse løsninger er som regel billigere en de underjordiske alternativer, og de er fordelagtige, da de kan kombineres med andre indsatser, hvormed merværdier kan skabes. Disse inkluderer æstetiske, rekreative, miljømæssige, sociale og økonomiske værdier. LAR er dog ikke altid nemt at implementere. Da klimatilpasning er et forholdsvist nyt felt, findes der kun begrænset viden og erfaring. Desuden er de nuværende lovmæssige rammer ikke indrettet til den slags klimatilpasningsløsninger. Der mangler muligheder, love er ikke koordinerede, og fordelinger af roller og ansvar er i nogle tilfælde begrænset til bestemte aktører. Derudover er LAR, som jo er placeret på overfladen, underlagt langt flere og nogen gange modstridende interesser end de underjordiske kloakløsninger, som det mest er teknikere, der interesserer sig for. Dette fordrer bred inddragelse og tværsektorielt samarbejde. Alle disse udfordringer skal håndteres af kommunale planlæggere, der arbejder med klimatilpasningsprojekter. De skal navigere i de forskellige eksisterende forudsætninger, faktorer og muligheder, for at finde løsninger, som passer ind i deres givne kontekster. Derudover har planlægning af klimatilpasningsprojekter ofte også transformative ambitioner; der forsøges ikke kun at finde løsninger på den foreliggende udfordring med regn, men samtidig at opnå merværdier, imødegå nye måder at arbejde på, omkalfatre eksisterende relationer mellem aktører samt i yderste konsekvens at ændre forestillingerne om klimatilpasning og alt, det medfører. Dette gør klimatilpasning til et komplekst område. For at lykkes med implementeringen af sådanne projekter, og samtidig opnå merværdier og transformative kvaliteter, bliver planlæggerne nødt til at arbejde strategisk og navigere i et væld af anliggender. Det er, hvad dette speciale fokuserer på, med spørgsmålet: Hvordan kan planlæggere i danske kommuner navigere strategisk i implementeringen af store klimatilpasningsprojekter, der håndterer regnvand – og har skabelsen af merværdier i fokus – for at adressere sådanne projekters udfordringer og komplekse forhold, og for at realisere deres transformative ambitioner? Dette er undersøgt gennem litteraturstudier samt særligt gennem casestudier af tre store klimatilpasningsprojekter, nemlig Trekroner Øst, Klimatilpasning Kokkedal og KlimaByen Middelfart. Ved at studere disse projekter, processerne bag samt deres implementering er deres planlægningsstrategier og strategiske navigation beskrevet. Dette er undersøgt og diskuteret yderligere for at finde frem til generelle drivkræfter for klimatilpasningsprojekter, omstændigheder, der er afgørende for hvilken strategisk navigation, der er nødvendig, og endeligt fem anbefalinger til kommunale planlæggere, der skal til at give sig i kast med klimatilpasningsprojekter. Konkret anbefales det, at de bør arbejde aktivt med strategis planlægning og navigation; bruge de eksisterende omstændigheder som udgangspunkt; navigere i de eksisterende lovmæssige rammer; skabe kollektiv retning og fælles prioriteringer gennem samarbejdsnetværk; og udføre opsøgende inddragelse af interessenter. Ved at tage højde for disse forhold kan enkelte klimatilpasningsprojekter bidrage til at skabe generelle, systemiske transformationer, der kommer alt arbejde med klimatilpasning til gode.

The effects of climate change are showing more often still. In Denmark, this is particularly observed with heavier and more frequent cloudbursts. These lead to flooded basements, waste water backup, and discharge of polluted water into natural water bodies; and they can cause expensive damage. To combat this, climate adaptation is a growing necessity in most urban areas of Denmark, and has increasingly become a central focus during the last few decades. For accommodating larger amounts of rain water, the traditional approach would be to expand sewers. But this is an expensive solution, and it does not bring about other possibilities for other improvements of the urban areas. Another and increasingly popular approach is sustainable urban drainage systems (SUDS). These are surface solutions handling water visibly and locally. These solutions are usually cheaper than the underground alternative, and they are beneficial as they can be combined with other foci to create additional values; including aesthetic, recreational, environmental, social, and economic values. But SUDS are not necessarily easy to implement. As climate adaptation is a relatively new field, limited experience and knowledge exist. Further, the current legislative framework is not geared for such climate adaptation measures; possibilities are lacking, legislation is not coordinated, and rules and responsibilities are in some cases limited to certain actors. And moreover, as SUDS are placed on the surface, they are subject to a wide range of sometimes conflicting interests, compared to underground sewers that are primarily managed by technicians. This necessitates broad involvement and multisectoral cooperation. All these challenges must be tackled by the municipal planners working with climate adaptation projects. They must navigate in the different conditions, factors, and possibilities present, to find solutions that fit their given contexts. On top of this, planning for climate adaptation projects often has transformative ambitions: it is attempted not just to solve the pressing problem of rain, but also to achieve additional values, embrace new ways of working, reconfigure actor relations, and ultimately, change the conceptions of climate adaptation and all it entails. This makes climate adaptation projects a complex field. To succeed in implementing such projects and obtain additional values and transformative qualities, planners must work strategically and navigate in a variety of aspects. This is what this thesis studies through the research question: how can planners in Danish municipalities navigate strategically in the implementation of large climate adaptation projects related to rainwater – that include a focus on creating additional values – in order to address challenges and complexities of such projects, and realize their transformative ambitions? This is examined through literature studies and particularly case studies of three large climate adaptation projects, namely Trekroner East, Kokkedal Climate Adaptation, and Middelfart – The Climate City. By studying these projects, their processes, and their implementation, their planning strategies and strategic navigation are described. These are further studied and discussed in order to arrive at common drivers for climate adaptation projects, conditions that are decisive for necessary strategic navigation, and finally, five recommendations for municipal planners embarking on climate adaptation projects. Specifically, it is recommended that they should work actively with strategic planning and navigation; use the existing conditions as a point of departure; navigate in the existing legal frameworks; create common directions and shared priorities through collaborative networks; and pursue stakeholder involvement with outreach. With these aspects in mind, individual climate adaptation projects can contribute to creating general systemic transformations, benefitting all work with climate adaptation.

A master thesis from Aalborg University

Rain in the city - a study of strategic navigation in climate adaptation projects