Unlocking Urban Adaptation Imaginaries: New global evidence published in Nature Cities.
How do adaptation practitioners across the world imagine their city adapting to climate change? A new publication in Nature Cities provides evidence on the diversity of perspectives about urban climate adaptation. The work has been co-authored by Dr Aiora Zabala and led by Dr Maria Loroño-Leturiondo as part of IMAGINE Adaptation, an ERC-funded project directed by Dr Marta Olazabal, both at the Basque Centre for Climate Change. This study sheds light on how adaptation actors in cities worldwide conceive and imagine climate change adaptation in very different ways—and why this matters.
The research involved nearly 80 local adaptation actors from 37 countries, using innovative methods to explore the diversity of perspectives shaping urban adaptation. Participants ranked 31 different ideas about urban climate adaptation, reflecting both outcomes and processes and illustrated through an art-science collaboration.
One of the most distinctive aspects of this work is its creative approach: the team used artistic visuals to communicate different meanings of adaptation, making complex ideas accessible and engaging, as well as communicable beyond language and cultural barriers.
These imaginaries reveal that when actors think about adaptation solutions, they often envision very different priorities, actors, and processes. This diversity can lead to misunderstandings and even maladaptive practices if not addressed.
The full article, “Unlocking urban adaptation imaginaries,” is available open access here.