Cited by 150Sustainability and Climate Change GovernanceClimate Change and Sustainable DevelopmentClimate Change Policy and Economics

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 81 of the 83 references it cites were found in a registry or an index; none of the 63 sources its claims cite is checked for support yet.

The role of scale in integrating climate change adaptation and mitigation in cities

Open access
Landauer, Mia, Juhola, Sirkku, Klein, Johannes·2019·Journal of Environmental Planning and Management

Abstract

By using a scale framework, we examine how cross-scale interactions influence the implementation of climate adaptation and mitigation actions in different urban sectors. Based on stakeholder interviews and content analysis of strategies and projects relevant to climate adaptation and mitigation in the cities of Copenhagen and Helsinki, we present empirical examples of synergies, conflicts and trade-offs between adaptation and mitigation that are driven by the cross-scale interactions. These examples show that jurisdictional and institutional scales shape the implementation of adaptation and mitigation strategies, projects and tasks at the management scale, creating benefits of integrated solutions, but also challenges. Investigating the linkages between adaptation and mitigation through a scale framework provides new knowledge for urban climate change planning and decision-making. The results increase the understanding of why adaptation and mitigation are sometimes handled as two separate policy areas and also why attempts to integrate the two policies may fail.

Overview

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Written from the paper’s full text.

TL;DR

Using a scale framework, this paper examines how cross-scale interactions shape the integration of climate adaptation and mitigation in Copenhagen and Helsinki. It finds that jurisdictional and institutional scales influence management-scale implementation, producing both synergies and conflicts or trade-offs, with 11 empirical examples identified.

Key findings

  • Across interviews and policy documents, the authors identified 11 examples of conflicts, synergies, and trade-offs caused by cross-scale interactions in two contexts: urban densification and energy efficiency of buildings (mitigation), and surface runoff and urban heat management (adaptation); 8 examples were in Copenhagen and 3 in Helsinki.
  • Jurisdictional-management and institutional-management interactions can cause trade-offs and conflicts and hinder integration; drivers include differences in perceptions and priorities among local jurisdictions and a limited institutional framework, such as narrow tenders, legal restrictions, and national climate policy priorities.
  • Synergies include Copenhagen building energy efficiency tied to flood protection, green roofs and walls that delay rainwater and reduce air-conditioning needs, the Act on Municipal Cooling Systems, and the HOFOR merger of energy and water services; in Helsinki, Helen Oy’s district heating and cooling system supports energy efficiency while being prepared for extreme weather.
  • Conflicts and trade-offs include Copenhagen groundwater pumps increasing energy demand and measurement difficulties due to landownership; in Helsinki, energy-efficiency requirements have been prioritized over material durability, and adaptation measures requiring physical space compete with densification for mitigation.

Methods

  • Comparative case study of Copenhagen and Helsinki, selected for ambitious climate goals and similar climate risks, size, and institutional settings; populations were about 585,000 in Copenhagen and 613,000 in Helsinki, with carbon-neutral targets by 2025 and 2050 respectively.
  • Semi-structured in-depth interviews with 29 stakeholders (28 face-to-face and 1 via Skype), each approximately one hour, conducted in Helsinki in May, June, and September 2013 (16 organizations) and in Copenhagen in September and October 2013 (10 organizations); interviewees came from public-sector organizations and private-sector organizations, including one local NGO and two consulting companies.
  • Content analysis of policy documents and projects: Helsinki Metropolitan Area Climate Strategy to the Year 2030, Helsinki Metropolitan Area Climate Change Adaptation Strategy, and Kalasatama district; CPH 2025 Climate Plan, CPH Climate Adaptation Plan, and Skt. Kjeld’s district; material was coded with ATLAS.ti 7 using an a priori coding structure and data triangulation.

Limitations

  • Stated: the study is limited to Copenhagen and Helsinki; the authors note the framework could be applied to a larger sample of cities, and a larger variation could allow comparisons between significantly different cities, such as in developing and developed countries.
  • Stated: it is not feasible to analyze all possible scale interactions because there is a plurality of views on how scale and scale interactions can be understood.
  • Evident from the text: the study focuses mainly on the public-sector point of view, and the interviews were conducted in 2013, so the empirical findings reflect that period.

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Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1080/09640568.2018.1430022

Cites

81 of 81 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

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47 Not checked yet · 30 Own result · 18 Own interpretation · 6 No basis given · 3 Own method

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  • It may state two separate claims as one. 37
  • Probably not a substantial claim. 23
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  • The paper relies on this without support.

    The public sector still plays an important role in implementing climate policies and practices in Nordic countries.

    “Understanding the role of public sector is important because the public sector still plays an important role in implementing climate policies and practices in Nordic countries.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    The translation of global climate policies into regional and local level management practices is not a straightforward process.

    “However, the translation of global climate policies into regional and local level management practices is not a straightforward process.”
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Citations

Cites

Research works printed but not linked: 12

  1. Bache I., 2005, Paper prepared for the EUSA 9th Biennial Conference in Austin
  2. Helsingin kaupunkisuunnitteluvirasto, 2008, Sörnäistenrannan ja Hermanninrannan osayleiskaava. Osayleiskaavan selostus. Helsingin kaupunkisuunnitteluviraston julkaisuja 2008:11
  3. HSY, 2010, Pääkaupunkiseudun ilmasto muuttuu. Sopeutumisstrategian taustaselvityksiä
  4. Hughes, S., E. K. Chu, and S. G. Mason. 2018. “Introduction”. In Climate Change in Cities: Innovations in Multi-Level Governance , edited by S. Hughes, E. K. Chu, and S. G. Mason, 1–15. Cham: Springer.
  5. Klein R. J. T., 2007, Climate Change 2007 – Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability, 745
  6. Klein J., 2016, Environment and Planning C, 35, 1055
  7. Leonardsen L., 2009, Paper presented at the International Symposium Strategies for Adapting to Climate Change in the Regions of Europe
  8. Longhurst R., 2010, Key Methods in Geography, 117
  9. OED. 2018. “Oxford Living Dictionaries.” Online English Dictionary. Accessed January 31, 2018. https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/conflict
  10. Ostrom E., 2010, Solutions, 1, 27
  11. Riipinen M., 2013, International Energy Agency CHP/DHC Collaborative and Clean Energy.
  12. Wahlgren I., 2007, Sörnäistenranta-Hermanninranta-osayleiskaava - ilmastonmuutoksen huomioonottaminen

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Metadata

Authors
Landauer, M., Juhola, S., & Klein, J.
Affiliations
  • International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (AT)
  • University of Helsinki (FI)
  • Geological Survey of Finland (FI)
Corresponding author
Landauer, Mia
Venue
Journal of Environmental Planning and Management
Published
2018-04-03
Volume
62
Issue
5
Pages
741-765
ISSN
  • 0964-0568 (ISSN-L)
  • 1360-0559
OpenAlex
W2783728736
Cited by
149
References
83
Citations by year
2026: 13 · 2025: 25 · 2024: 20 · 2023: 19 · 2022: 27 · 2021: 29 · 2020: 11 · 2019: 4 · 2018: 1
FWCI
6.59
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
cc-by-nc-nd
Locations
  • Journal of Environmental Planning and Management (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
  • IIASA PURE (International Institute of Applied Systems Analysis) (acceptedVersion)
  • RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
  • Aaltodoc (Aalto University) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
  • Työväentutkimus Vuosikirja (submittedVersion)
  • LaCRIS (University of Lapland) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc)
Funders
Norden Top-level Research Initiative sub-programme ‘Effect Studies and Adaptation to Climate Change’.
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Global and Planetary Change › Sustainability and Climate Change Governance
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Global and Planetary Change › Climate Change and Sustainable Development
  • Social Sciences › Economics, Econometrics and Finance › Economics and Econometrics › Climate Change Policy and Economics
Keywords
climate change adaptation, climate change mitigation, cross-scale interactions, urban climate policy, institutional scale, urban climate planning, Copenhagen, Helsinki, stakeholder perspectives

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