Challenge description

Even though climate change is a global process, the consequences take place on different scales. Climate change causes multiple problems, the most significant of which for the city of Nijmegen are: heat stress, flooding and precipitation increase. The average temperature in Nijmegen will increase, as well as the number of extremely warm days. This is especially dangerous to elderly people. Flooding is another problem which is caused by increasing intensity of rainfalls and meltwater. 

European countries have to make climate change adaptation plans, they identify the needs and then the issue is directed to the municipalities and final actions are often taken at a local level. The municipality’s responsibility lies solely in public areas and making them adapted to climate change. However, the municipality attempts to raise awareness in the private sector by speaking to citizens about the risks that come with climate change and increasing precipitation. but the problem of citizen involvement seems paradoxical: Most damage occurs on the property of citizens, yet the citizens are not motivated to take precipitation adaptation measures. Citizens needs a clear insight into climate change risks and possible adaptation measures they can take. They should be involved in the process of creating climate resilient city, so the consciousness and potential cooperation between the municipality and the private house owners is deemed to be of utmost importance for the efficiency of combating heavy rainfall problems.for example municipality tries to involve citizens in plans and decisions on neighbourhood-scale. This includes plans with regards to rainfalls. Citizens can participate in projects as for example they can make their garden greener to reduce the amount of rainwater on the streets and to prevent an overload of the sewage system.Municipality offers subsidies for these activities,for example there are subsidies for green roofs, facades, rain barrels, and decoupling the rainwater from wastewater. The municipality also uses some control measures such as ‘watertoets' for new buildings. 

Citizens are very willing to cooperate on creating a liveable environment, but not as interested in the concept of ‘climate change adaptation’, so now the question is: 

How municipality can create a participatory approach to involve citizens and other stakeholders in climate adaptation plans?

Challenge vision

We aim to built a climate resilient city by the better cooperation between local authorities and private stakeholders.