ENGAGED: The Equity Nexus of Governance, Adaptation Planning & Design for Urban Climate Resilience

Urban professionals need streamlined methods for identifying climate risks and prioritising equitable adaptation solutions in an inclusive, participatory way. The Netherlands' national discourse on climate adaptation highlights the need to protect the most vulnerable groups. However, current adaptation conventions rely heavily on biophysical data to locate climate hazards through 'stress tests' and prioritise adaptation based on existing infrastructure projects and political agendas. This approach often marginalises vulnerable groups and evades community engagement, resulting in inequitable outcomes.
ENGAGED, the Equity Nexus of Governance, Adaptation Planning & Design for Urban Climate Resilience, proposes a novel practice-oriented approach where theoretical knowledge on equitable climate adaptation is empirically tested and applied to the Dutch context, emphasising trans-disciplinarity and equity, aiming to maximise impact. We will assess neighbourhood and block-level risks by extending the 'stress tests' to include demographic, cultural, socio-economic, and health indicators along with biophysical and climate data. We will identify adaptation opportunities that align with diverse planning agendas and prioritise projects based on potential linkages-benefits, and equity considerations. By collaborating with practitioners and community groups, we aim to gain valuable insights and confirm the effectiveness of our approach. The project will explore stakeholder engagement strategies to determine suitable adaptation solutions and identify governance barriers to adoption. We aim to facilitate equitable climate adaptation governance, planning, and design supporting municipalities to serve vulnerable groups more effectively and promote climate justice.
ENGAGED will build upon research into climate adaptation and socio-economic issues from a range of projects, including the ZonMW Wijkaanpak Hitte, BEAT THE HEAT, Interreg Cool Cities, Horizon Up2030, KIN Accelerating Just Climate Transitions, NWO Citizen participation in climate adaptation, Interreg Cool Towns, and Buurtdashboard, Sociale kwetsbaarheid hitte and Wijktypen (KlimaatEffectAtlas).