Planning for climate change adaptation: a review of current initiatives in Australia

Abstract

Australian urban settlements are particularly vulnerable to climate change impacts including extreme weather events and sea level rise. Regions across Australia have inherited a legacy of past planning decisions that place a significant number of urban settlements at an increased risk of harm from climate change impacts. Planning has a central role in reducing this risk through both climate adaptation and mitigation. This paper contributes to inform planning education for climate change by specifically investigating approaches to public engagement in adaptation initiatives implemented by local authorities in the states of Victoria, New South Wales and Tasmania, Australia. It uses a comparative case study approach to analyse such initiatives and identify critical challenges to public engagement, particularly related to adapting to coastal hazards. The findings indicate that a range of approaches to public engagement have been adopted by planners when implementing climate adaptation initiatives. The paper concludes by proposing a set of strategies that can inform planning practice in the context of public engagement and climate adaptation.