How legitimate are urban climate planning processes? A comparative assessment of Accra, Ahmedabad, Bonn and São Paulo
Urban climate action plans (UCAPs) guide cities in identifying key climate risks and in addressing climate change. Designed to guide urban transformation over decades through near-term and long-term actions reducing emissions and/or adapting to the consequences of climate change, UCAPs are intended...
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IOP Publishing
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Environmental Research Communications |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1088/2515-7620/ada7cc |
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| author | Niklas Wagner Minal Pathak |
| author_facet | Niklas Wagner Minal Pathak |
| author_sort | Niklas Wagner |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Urban climate action plans (UCAPs) guide cities in identifying key climate risks and in addressing climate change. Designed to guide urban transformation over decades through near-term and long-term actions reducing emissions and/or adapting to the consequences of climate change, UCAPs are intended to have significant impacts. Despite their significance for urban climate governance, the procedural quality of how UCAPs are created remains under-analysed. By analysing UCAPs of four cities from different regions of the world - Accra (Ghana), Bonn (Germany), São Paulo (Brazil), and Ahmedabad (India) - we unpack the quality of UCAP creation processes in terms of their legitimacy including whether and how key stakeholders were involved in shaping the plan. Drawing on 72 semi-structured interviews with actors involved in the plan-creation process and complemented by document analysis, this study conceptualises UCAP creation phases and assesses its quality using the framework of input, throughput, and output legitimacy. In terms of key actors, this study highlights the crucial role city networks played in designing and funding UCAP creation processes. Significant differences in UCAP legitimacy with regards to levels of co-production, transparency, accessibility, and substantive participation across the case studies are shown. Based on these findings this study provides actionable insights for the creation of legitimate and impactful UCAPs to promote just and equitable urban transformations. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-32c553f8ed2c406e90f177f759a1ae92 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2515-7620 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | IOP Publishing |
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| series | Environmental Research Communications |
| spelling | doaj-art-32c553f8ed2c406e90f177f759a1ae922025-01-21T01:48:33ZengIOP PublishingEnvironmental Research Communications2515-76202025-01-017101502110.1088/2515-7620/ada7ccHow legitimate are urban climate planning processes? A comparative assessment of Accra, Ahmedabad, Bonn and São PauloNiklas Wagner0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6155-6470Minal Pathak1Center for Development Research (ZEF), Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn, GermanyGlobal Centre for Environment and Energy, Ahmedabad University, Ahmedabad, IndiaUrban climate action plans (UCAPs) guide cities in identifying key climate risks and in addressing climate change. Designed to guide urban transformation over decades through near-term and long-term actions reducing emissions and/or adapting to the consequences of climate change, UCAPs are intended to have significant impacts. Despite their significance for urban climate governance, the procedural quality of how UCAPs are created remains under-analysed. By analysing UCAPs of four cities from different regions of the world - Accra (Ghana), Bonn (Germany), São Paulo (Brazil), and Ahmedabad (India) - we unpack the quality of UCAP creation processes in terms of their legitimacy including whether and how key stakeholders were involved in shaping the plan. Drawing on 72 semi-structured interviews with actors involved in the plan-creation process and complemented by document analysis, this study conceptualises UCAP creation phases and assesses its quality using the framework of input, throughput, and output legitimacy. In terms of key actors, this study highlights the crucial role city networks played in designing and funding UCAP creation processes. Significant differences in UCAP legitimacy with regards to levels of co-production, transparency, accessibility, and substantive participation across the case studies are shown. Based on these findings this study provides actionable insights for the creation of legitimate and impactful UCAPs to promote just and equitable urban transformations.https://doi.org/10.1088/2515-7620/ada7cclegitimacyurban climate action plansknowledge policy interactionclimate changeco-productioncity networks |
| spellingShingle | Niklas Wagner Minal Pathak How legitimate are urban climate planning processes? A comparative assessment of Accra, Ahmedabad, Bonn and São Paulo Environmental Research Communications legitimacy urban climate action plans knowledge policy interaction climate change co-production city networks |
| title | How legitimate are urban climate planning processes? A comparative assessment of Accra, Ahmedabad, Bonn and São Paulo |
| title_full | How legitimate are urban climate planning processes? A comparative assessment of Accra, Ahmedabad, Bonn and São Paulo |
| title_fullStr | How legitimate are urban climate planning processes? A comparative assessment of Accra, Ahmedabad, Bonn and São Paulo |
| title_full_unstemmed | How legitimate are urban climate planning processes? A comparative assessment of Accra, Ahmedabad, Bonn and São Paulo |
| title_short | How legitimate are urban climate planning processes? A comparative assessment of Accra, Ahmedabad, Bonn and São Paulo |
| title_sort | how legitimate are urban climate planning processes a comparative assessment of accra ahmedabad bonn and sao paulo |
| topic | legitimacy urban climate action plans knowledge policy interaction climate change co-production city networks |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1088/2515-7620/ada7cc |
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