Climate change adaptation mainstreaming in the planning instruments of two South African local municipalities

ABSTRACT

This article reflects on the role of urban planning in climate change adaptation and the role of planning instruments in facilitating the mainstreaming of climate change adaptation. An analytical framework is introduced to analyse primary spatial and integrated planning instruments in the City of Cape Town and Thulamela Local Municipality in South Africa, as comparative cases with core similarities and contextual differences. The findings are discussed in terms of where adaptation should be included throughout the planning process and the extent to which the cases have been able to mainstream climate change adaptation within their planning instruments. The findings show that local municipal plans and policies are recognising the impact of climate change on settlements and the role of planning in responding to these impacts. However, there is little evidence of addressing these long-term impacts through programmatic and coherent approaches using short- to medium-term planning instruments.

KEYWORDS:

• Climate change adaptation
• mainstreaming
• planning
• spatial planning
• integrated development planning

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 Previously the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, South Africa: [Grant Number 7409]; International Development Research Centre: [Grant Number 108230-001].