Presentation given to the ARCC assembly on 11th June by Kit England, Nick Grayson and Kate Cochrane, on behalf of Core Cities, Newcastle City Council, Birmingham City Council and Bristol City Council

1. Adapting cities: Applying research
in adaptation policy and practice
Kit England
Chair, Core Cities working group on adaptation

2. Where is action most effective?
Right thing
Right reasonRight time

3. The challenges for cities
• The magnitude of impacts and their consequences in cities.
Cities are hubs of economic growth, with more than half the
world's population and most of its built assets and economic
activities;
• The potential for greater cascade and convergence risks, due
to the increased interaction of complex economic, social and
environmental systems
• Many emerging risks concentrated in urban areas, posing
unique challenges and opportunities – including urban heat
island, increasing night-time temperatures, heating and
cooling requirements; the lack of permeability increasing
surface water flood risk, whilst river and coastal are at
increased fluvial and tidal risk

5. How Europe is addressing this
• European Commission embedding adaptation. Recognises a number of
factors needed to mainstream, including political commitment, coherent
policy, new research, pilots of new approaches and implementation
• Political commitment - ‘Mayors Adapt’ a political commitment scheme for
Local Authorities.
• Coherent policy - Adaptation and Green Infrastructure strategies
• New research – Climate Action and Secure Socities themes in Horizon
2020
• Pilots of approaches and implementation – LIFE+ adaptation programme
focused on supporting delivery of local adaptation strategies, Cohesion
funding and North Sea operational programme funding green and blue
infrastructure
• To move work to the mainstream we need cities and academics to
coalesce around European and local priorities around ALL these topics

6. UK Government approach
• National Adaptation Programme – statutorily required by the
Climate Change Act 2008 – informed by the National Climate
Change Risk Assessment
• Supported by ClimateUK regional partnerships and Environment
Agency ‘Climate Ready’ support service
• A voluntary approach– delivered in the context of Localism.
• Core Cities committed to accelerate work on adaptation in their
local areas Covered a range of areas, including Built
Environment, Infrastructure, Health and Wellbeing and
Businesses and Services.
• Effectiveness of this approach to be evaluated by Committee on
Climate Change
• Core Cities now leading from the front – looking at
Government barriers to more effective adaptation, and trying to
push forward adaptation in their area

7. The challenge for UK cities
• Local Authorities identified by Adaptation Sub-
Committee as key deliverers/enablers
• However, Local Government undergoing massive
austerity, and an aging population which are
distracting us from the challenge
• A number of ‘best practice’ schemes delivered, but
needs to scale.
• However the building blocks are there to support
action

8. The big idea(s)
• If Cities are to adapt, the finance required
dwarfs what Local Authorities and
Government hold or can borrow.
• Globally cities need to build the business
case to unlock private capital alongside
existing finance.
• Cities moving towards this, particularly
green bonds, but also crowd sourcing.
• Also need to change the language –
adaptation not working, instead need to
quantify the benefits much more robustly
(GVA, Jobs, public health)

9. Implications for academia
• Need an ongoing partnership with academia to
effectively build the business case FOR cities, and IN
cities
• Develop evidence, assess hazards and vulnerability,
understand city issues and priorities, and potential
solutions
• Each of these will be different in different cities, but
there are some common threads
• There are research priorities for cities, but also some
primary research gaps

10. Research priorities
• How do we change the language? What is the most effective
way to ‘sell’ adaptation? Is it more about the economic case –
jobs created, resilience of supply chains, GVA from adaptation
measures – if so we have to get there.
• Finance – Building the legal, financial and policy capacity of
Cities to access private finance
• Creating local evidence bases - Development and application
of existing tools and techniques around exposure,
vulnerability and adaptive capacity which can create resilient
individuals, institutions and systems in cities

11. Other research gaps
• Behaviours/Communities – What is the contribution of
individuals – how can their actions address hazards, how do
we communicate the impacts with them?
• The role of Government - What is the role of Government in
facilitating adaptation given the scale? What are the barriers
in UK and international policy holding local adaptation back?
• Weatherising climate projections – Developing standard ways
to adapt existing evaluation/appraisal techniques for projects
to account for weather under climate change
• International impacts on cities – e.g. migration
• Food - Risks to food security and strategies to address this
• The urban-rural network - cities don't exist in isolation, what
are effects on the surrounding areas, how do they impact

12. Types of city/academic collaboration
Setting shared city
priorities/challenges
Developing/supporting
funding bids/consortia
Major research projects –
“Co creating evidence”
Masters/Undergraduate
placements
Strategic
Operational

13. Key questions
• What are your first thoughts on the Core Cities
agenda?
• Have we got the right areas of research? What
else do we need to know more about?
• What are the levers in our control to address
this?

14. Kit England
E: kit.england@newcastle.gov.uk
T: 0191 211 5098
Twitter: @kitengland

15. Birmingham – Smart Adapting Cities
ARCC Network Assembly- Birmingham 2014
Nick Grayson
Climate Change & Sustainability Manager,
“Metanoia”
Birmingham City
Council
Leader- leading
global green city;
Planning-
150,000 population;
80,000 new homes;
Green
Commission
-Green Vision;
- Carbon
Roadmap -60%
carbon
reductions;
- Natural Capital

16. Sustainability Forum – June 11th 2012
ARCC Network Assembly- Birmingham 2014
Birmingham – Smart Adapting Cities
"We the mayors and
governors of the world's
leading cities. ask you to
recognise that the future of
our globe will be won or
lost in the cities of the
world."
Copenhagen Climate
Change communiqué,
December 2009
UK Statistics 2012
% UK classified as urban?
% of UK population living as urban ?
% urban areas not built form?
% total of England built on?
% GHG & natural resources – global cities?
MEA &
NATURAL
CAPITAL
2005
STERN 1% GDP
GLOBAL 2006

17. Birmingham – Smart Adapting Cities
ARCC Network Assembly- Birmingham 2014
Non-communicable
diseases represent a new
frontier in the fight to
improve global health.
Worldwide, the increase
in such diseases means
that they are now
responsible for more
deaths
than all other causes
combined.
Secretary General United
Nations 2011

18. ARCC Network Assembly- Birmingham 2014
BUCCANEER – Birmingham Urban Climate Change Adaptation
Neighborhood Estimates of Environmental Risk

19. ARCC Network Assembly- Birmingham 2014
Birmingham – Smart Adapting Cities
BUCCANEER PROJECT

20. Key Partners
Climate Risk
Water
Green Infrastructure
Health & Well Being
Biodiversity
The LEP & Business
Community + Resilience
Planning
Transport & Infrastructure
The 9 piece
jigsaw
POLICY
EVIDENCE
DELIVERY
Birmingham – Smart Adapting Cities
ARCC Network Assembly- Birmingham 2014
Green
Infrastructure &
Adaptation
Delivery Group

21. Principle Outcome
An Adapted City
Retain City’s top ranking for adaptation
Ensure all future growth is adapted
Trees for cooling and thermal insulation
Green roofs, walls and street canyon research
The City’s Blue
Network
Adopt water sensitive urban design
Integrated SuDS, flood and water management solutions
Blueprint for enhance walking and cycling offer
Blue Corridor/ network policy with Canal Rivers Trust
A Healthy City
Adopt Natural Health Improvement Zones (NHIZ)
Integrate the delivery of health and green living spaces
Continue to extend the ‘Be Active’ offer
Public Health as key partners in Planning
The City’s Productive
Landscapes
Embrace urban forestry and urban food growing
Continue to promote allotments
Facilitate community food growing and orchards
Promote the multiple benefits of urban forestry
The City’s Greenways
Change gear- to a walking and cycling City
Create walkable/ cyclable neighbourhoods
Citywide signed routes linked to public transport
Link healthcare activities and prevention programmes
The City’s Ecosystem
Birmingham as a Biophilic City
• City to adopt an ecosystem services approach
Partners to lead on District Nature Improvement Area plans
Birmingham to join global Biophilic Cities Network
The City’s Green
Living Spaces
Birmingham an international City of Green Living Spaces
Adopt the 7 principles across Planning Framework
Green Infrastructure and Adaptation Delivery Group

22. Birmingham – Smart Adapting Cities
ARCC Network Assembly- Birmingham 2014
•Biodiversity * Local Climate * Recreation
•Education * Aesthetics & mobility * Flood risk

23. Birmingham – Smart Adapting Cities
Excess Years Life Lost at LSOA
Birmingham –
a global first
ARCC Network Assembly- Birmingham 2014

24. Birmingham: The UK’s First Biophilic City
ARCC Network Assembly- Birmingham 2014
- Cities that achieve a deep affinity with nature
Milwaukee
San Francisco
Birmingham
Wellington
Vittoria- Gastiez
Milwaukee
Rio de Janeiro
Montreal
Oslo Perth
Birmingham
San Fransisco

25. Birmingham – Smart Adapting Cities
ARCC Network Assembly- Birmingham 2014

26. Birmingham – UK Urban Demonstrator
ARCC Network Assembly- Birmingham 2014

27. Birmingham – Smart Adapting Cities
ARCC Network Assembly- Birmingham 2014
http://birminghamclimate.com/ie_index2.html
www.birminghamclimate.com<http://www.birminghamclimate.com
http://www.local.gov.uk/health/-/journal_content/56/10180/3510483/ARTICLE
http://greencity.birmingham.gov.uk/
http://www.birmingham.gov.uk/greencommission
http://www.birmingham.gov.uk/greenlivingspaces
http://liveablecities.org.uk/
http://www.theguardian.com/cities/2014/apr/03/birmingham-san-francisco-oslo-
global-green-biophilic-cities-club
http://www.landscapeinstitute.co.uk/PDF/C
ontribute/PublicHealthandLandscape_Crea
tingHealthyPlaces_FINAL.pdf
http://biophiliccities.org/

28. Bristol – climate adaptation & resilience
• Bristol is European Green Capital 2015 & a member of Rockefeller Foundation’s
pioneering 100 Resilient Cities Network.
• Climate resilience work – early days NI 188, then enshrined as a corporate risk,
now integrated into wider resilience work through 100RC programme.
• Resilience – ability to withstand and recover from acute shocks & chronic
stresses such as civil emergencies, climate change, food security and resource
scarcity but also about transformational change.
• City resilience is central to Mayor George Ferguson’s vision for Bristol
• Climate resilience – reflected in strategic plans e.g. Local Plan, Health &
Wellbeing Strategy, operationally e.g. EMAS team – key Cabinet Decisions need
Eco Impact Assessment, Civil Protection Unit’s work, risk management – 15
headline risks in CC Risk Register, & fostering strong links across authority &
with city partners.
• Rockefeller Foundation’s 100RC programme funding Strategic Resilience Officer
post who will lead development of Bristol’s Resilience Plan, bringing together
multiple-stakeholders within Bristol and the city region.

29. Building the evidence - ARCC
SNACC – Suburban Neighbourhood Adaptation for a Changing Climate:
• 3 case study cities - Bristol, Stockport, Oxford
• Researchers – Uni of West of Eng, Oxford Brookes Uni, Heriot-Watt Uni
• 2 case study suburbs – 1900s terraces & new build homes
• Overheating risk in homes – old & new – 100% by 2050 (High Em, 90%)
• Insight into home characteristics contributing to overheating
• Identified packages of measures for low carbon & resilient homes inc.
relatively simple measures – lagging pipes, solar shading & solar films
• Important feedback on acceptability of measures from homeowners

30. New Homes – Overheating Risk
Upper Horfield
built 2006-2010

31. Upper Horfield
built 2006-2010
Retrofit Measures for Cool Homes

32. Building the evidence - ARCC
Using findings from SNACC:
• Communities – highlighted perspective that homeowners generally
welcomed rather than feared overheating due to British climate –
assuming simple measures e.g. window opening would cool home
• Building capacity – sharing learning within the authority – housing
team, EMAS officers, councillors, retrofit programme managers (Green
Deal), service managers etc.
• Evidence – raising profile of overheating risk & taken more seriously
• Planning – research used in training session, advisory note drafted on
developers using future weather files to ensure occupant comfort, and
through development management process evidence sought on
measures for tackling overheating risk
• Critical services – shared SNACC findings with EMAS officer for health
& social care plus signposted other ARCC projects BIOPICC etc

33. [Newcastle City Council]
Case Study: Newcastle City
Council

34. About the City
• Population of 282,000
• Reducing revenue spend from £270m to £170m by 2016 – this
will continue to fall
• Incredibly unequal city – need to make sure those who are
worst off aren’t affected the most
• Climate change and severe weather presenting increasing
risks – mainly from more extreme rainfall
• Economic impacts of Climate Change for NE identified 7:1 cost
benefit ratio for acting
• Work programme on adaptation set out – mainly our own
activities/operations, but a city element too

36. • SLIDES FOR PRESENTATION
28th June 2012
Greater than a 1 in
a 100 year rainfall
event

37. Flooding impacts
• Domestic Properties - 1,200 flooded, including 500 flooded internally;
• Businesses - Damage to premises, and loss of profits from inability to fulfil orders;
• Highways - £9.2m damage, disruption across the network, and knock-on effects on
the availability and frequency of bus services;
• Metro - Widespread disruption, including a landslide onto the tracks, closed
stations, and services cancelled or delayed;
• Railways - Closure of East Coast Mainline due to a landslip; delays on local rail
networks;
• Electricity - lost to 23,000 homes across the North due to
lightning;
• Tourism - Closure of the Hoppings funfair, compounding
three days’ closure because of torrential downpours
• Council Operations – Closed and damaged buildings,
including nurseries, schools, colleges, warehouses
and Customer Service Centres;

38. BlueGreenCities
• Improving understanding of value of Blue and green
infrastructure in flood and non-flood states. A
number of work packages:
– Improving of flood model for the City
– Understanding how people use water butts and their
impacts
– Economic valuation of multiple benefits of Blue/Green
states – e.g. air quality, flood risk
• Combined work packages will test policy options
for addressing flood risk using green/blue
infrastructure in Newcastle
• Buy in from a number of key stakeholders – e.g.
CIRIA, Environment Agency

39. Long term urban research facility
• Deploying environmental/movement sensors to lampposts across the City –
temperature, air quality, water flow
• Linked to weather stations in schools and other weather feeds (e.g. Twitter)
• Creating a local dataset to inform better modelling on exposure and
sensitivity – looking to link to decision support tools that feed policy options
• Also serve to correlate impacts and local data/thresholds
• £900k initially allocated, another £500k committed to facilitate roll out

40. Other research
• BIOPICCC
• R-Futures
• Horizon 2020 bids

41. ‘Adapting Newcastle’
• PhD looking at potential to adapt to climate change
whilst reducing inequalities.
• Key findings:
– evidence based policy insufficiently accounts for
constraints on adaptive capacity
– Effective adaptation requires broader involvement in
decision making
– cannot occur in isolation from socio-economic and political
drivers, yet resource implications of dealing with
increasing social vulnerability and climate extremes are
poorly understood and not currently factored into decision
making.

42. Heat vulnerability assessment
• Downscaled UK Climate Change
projections for temperature to 5km
• Assessed heatwave risks to different
sections of the population at LSOA to
highlight priority sections of the city
at risk – using housing stock data,
health data, incomes and more
• Also feeding future research –
dataset for future
modelling/research use

43. CAFCAS (Climate Adaptation Financing for
Coastal Areas)
• Project looking to de-risk private investment in resilient
infrastructure - A mix of European Local Authorities
(Newcastle, Copenhagen, Rotterdam), consultancies and
insurance sector
• Generating 8 investment summaries and testing viability
with private finance (sovereign wealth, private equity) to
identify and remove barriers
• Investment summaries focused on ‘intervention
opportunities’ from existing activity – creating efficiencies
and hitting multiple LA spending priorities which justify
an ROI to investors. E.g. giving highways infrastructure
better surfacing, reprioritising cycle lanes, making utilities
more accessible and deploying SuDS.

44. Civic Centre Retrofit
• Building adaptation into £17m low-carbon office
accommodation retrofit for 2040-2060.
• Employing data from PROMETHEUS, and route
first trodden by ‘Design for Future Climate’
• Using future Design Summer Years to evaluate
options for addressing overheating using low-
carbon solutions, quantify costs
• A listed building so going to be exploring the
tensions between conservation and future-
proofing

45. Kate Cochrane
E: kate.cochrane@newcastle.gov.uk
T: 0191 277 7176
Kit England
E: kit.england@newcastle.gov.uk
T: 0191 211 5098
Twitter: @kitengland