Climate change and its related impacts are strongly affecting land use and land use development. In its Green Paper "Adaptation to climate change in Europe - options for EU action" the European Commission points out the potential of spatial planning to define cost-effective adaptation measures to adapt to the impacts of climate change and emphasizes its “key role for awareness-raising among the public, decision makers and professionals as well as for triggering a more proactive approach at all levels”.

Are the spatial planning systems in the Alpine countries fit for this important position assigned by the European Commission? What are the weaknesses and what are the strengths of our instruments in the face of climate change? What potential lies within spatial planning? How can we better adapt to climate change risks? Are our instruments sufficient? How can we improve our existing instruments? These questions are dealt with by Work Package 5. Its main objectives are:

To analyse the "climate change fitness" of current spatial planning systems by evaluating legal and institutional frameworks and instruments (e.g. regional development programmes & plans, land-use plans).
To prevent and avoid adverse climate change impacts, damages and costs on regional and local level by providing "climate proof" spatial planning solutions as a substantial basis for future sustainable territorial development in the Alps.

Main Actions:

• Determining common transnational evaluation criteria for assessing the climate change fitness of spatial planning systems
• Reviewing the spatial planning systems in the Alpine countries with regard to their climate change adaptation and mitigation capacities
• In-depth evaluation of relevant spatial planning instruments and procedures in model regions regarding their capability in coping with climate change impacts
• Identifying enhancement options for spatial planning systems and best practice examples of climate proof planning activities
• Elaborating a climate change „fitness“ assessment tool for self-evaluation of Alpine regions and municipalities

Outputs:

• In-depth knowledge on strengths & weaknesses of spatial planning systems (legal/institutional framework, instruments, procedures)
• Recommendations, policy options & decision support for enhancing planning capacities to reduce spatial vulnerability to climate change
• Increased preparedness of policy-makers and planning authorities to improve planning systems and instruments with regard to the challenges posed by climate change
• Operational set of evaluation criteria
• Guidance for planning authorities for comprehensive climate change fitness reviews
• Transferable climate change „fitness“ assessment tool for self-evaluation of regions and municipalities
• Best practice database of climate proof spatial planning activities in the Alpine Space

>> WP5 - Results

WP Responsible:

• Bundesamt für Raumentwicklung, Strategiegruppe Politik des Ländlichen Raumes / Swiss Federal Office for Spatial Development, Strategy Group Politics of Rural Areas, contact: Melanie Butterling (melanie.butterling@are.admin.ch)

Subcontractor:

• Eidgenössische Forschungsanstalt für Wald, Schnee und Landschaft (WSL) / Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research, contact: Marco Pütz (marco.puetz@wsl.ch)
• Esther Casanova Raumplanung, contact: Esther Casanova (esther.casanova@casanova-plan.ch)

Other WP partners:

• Umweltbundesamt GmbH / Federal Environment Agency Austria

• Graubünden, Amt für Raumentwicklung / Grisons, Office for Spatial Development

• Fürstentum Liechtenstein, Ressort Umwelt, Raum, Land- und Waldwirtschaft / Principality of Liechtenstein, Ministry of Environmental Office, Land Use Planning, Agriculture and Forestry

• Accademia Europea di Bolzano / European Academy of Bolzano

• Bundesministerium für Land- und Forstwirtschaft, Umwelt und Wasserwirtschaft, Forstsektion / Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Environment and Water Management, Forest Department

• Amt der Salzburger Landesregierung, Abteilung Raumplanung / Regional Government of Salzburg, Department of Spatial Planning

• Amt der Steiermärkischen Landesregierung, Abteilung 16 - Landes- und Gemeindeentwicklung / Office of the State Government of Styria, Department 16 - State Planning and Regional Development

• Amt der Oberösterreichischen Landesregierung, Abteilung Raumordnung / Office of the Government of Upper Austria; Department of Spatial Planning

• Bayerisches Staatsministerium für Wirtschaft, Infrastruktur, Verkehr und Technologie, Abteilung Landesentwicklung / Bavarian Ministry of Economic Affairs, Infrastructure, Transport and Technology, Department for Regional Planning and Development

• Provincia di Alessandria / Province of Alessandria

• Urbanistini inštitut Republike Slovenije / Urban Planning Institute of the Republic of Slovenia