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SESSION DESCRIPTION
A5
The Ripple Effect: Building Commitment to
Urban Adaptation Planning
Knowledge Café Workshop
Date: Monday, 8 June, 2015
Time: 14:30-16:00
Rooms: S34/35 (tbc)
Language:
English
Contact:
Kara E. Reeve
E-mail/web:
karareeve@rti.org www.rti.org
Organized by: Kara E Reeve
OBJECTIVE
Although preparing for the impacts of climate change is integral to achieving urban resilience, cities are
having difficulty generating commitment and political and policy support for adaptation. This session builds
on the research of the late JoAnn Carmin, Ph.D., a Professor at MIT (Massachusetts Institute of
Technology), and will draw from her research focused on developed and developing country cities. Previous
research draws primarily from organizational studies with focus on new initiatives in institutionalized arenas
and how entrepreneurs form new organizations or promote change within established organizations and
fields. However, we know little about how cities initiate action and generate commitment in nascent policy
domain. Therefore, this session will present emerging research themes and guide participants through a
session that moves from theory to practice as they learn from the research and also from each other.
The session will seek to help participants better understand how cities may build commitment and gain
support for climate adaptation initiatives, as well as lessons can be drawn from the adaptation activities
of cities related to promoting commitment to urban resilience, including new policy initiatives. This session
will first share the ways in which pioneering cities have generated acceptance, commitment, and support for
climate adaptation planning, including a practical presentation on the adaptation experience of the City of
Ekurhuleni, South Africa. Next, participants will break into smaller groups to discuss how cities may
overcome challenges building support commitment, and acceptance for climate adaptation, such as by
linking adaptation to local goals and priorities, engaging departments, attending to the political and policy
realities of local officials, and enlisting the support of diverse stakeholders. In small groups, participants will
discuss a set of questions such as, “How do local leaders get the commitment of other city councils and the
mayor?; From your experience, what to you see as the leverage points for getting buy-in across municipal
departments?” Last, the facilitators will lead the group through a final session to reflect on the small group
discussions to share thoughts, insight, and ideas that may have emerged.
OUTCOMES
Participants will leave the workshop with:
 A better understanding of the ways in which pioneering cities have generated acceptance,
commitment, and support for climate adaptation planning;
 A new peer network that can be used to share stories and ideas for building acceptance,
commitment and support for adaptation; and
 An overview of cutting-edge research that can be used inform and enhance adaptation planning
activities in their cities and/or in the cities of peers and colleagues.
METHODOLOGY
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The workshop will use a “Knowledge Café” format. The facilitator will provide an overview of key research
themes, followed by a practical presentation hi-lighting the ways in which these themes have surfaced,
created roadblocks, or have been overcome in the adaptation activities of Ekurhuleni, South Africa. After the
introductory presentations, the facilitators will pose a set of open-ended questions to the audience, which will
then break into small groups, with about five people in each group. Each small group will discuss the
questions for a set period of time. The small group discussions are not led by a facilitator, and no summary
of the discussion is captured for subsequent feedback to the large group. Participants then re-convene and
the facilitators will lead the group through a final session, in which people reflect on the small group
discussions.
Facilitator(s)
Kara E. Reeve*, Urban Management Specialist, RTI International, USA
Freddie Aucamp, Divisional Head, Environmental Strategic Planning, City of
Ekurhuleni, South Africa
14:30 - 14:55
Description. The facilitators will lead a brief ice-breaker with welcoming activities,
provide a short presentation on key research themes related to building acceptance,
commitment, and support for adaptation in cities.
Led by Kara E. Reeve, Urban Management Specialist, RTI International, USA
14:55 – 14:15
City Spotlight: Ekurhuleni, South Africa
Freddie Aucamp, Divisional Head, Environmental Strategic Planning, City of
Ekurhuleni, South Africa
Water resource management is likely to be one of South Africa’s most complex
problems for municipalities in the future due to Climate change, urbanization, and other
factors. Therefore, building acceptance, commitment, and support for adaptation
activities is critical; Mr. Aucamp will discuss these issues from the Ekurhuleni
perspective and provide a means to ground-truth the theory presented in the first part
of the workshop.
14:15 – 15:40
15:40 – 16:00
Small group break-outs to discuss open-ended questions, share opportunities and
challenges related to building acceptance, commitment, and support for urban
adaptation
Facilitated discussion of break-out sessions to share thoughts, insight, and ideas that
may have emerged
With thanks to JoAnn Carmin and Isabelle Anguelovski*, Linda Shi*, Eric Chu*, Daniel Gallagher*,
Kian Goh*, Zachary Lamb*, and Hannah Teicher.*
*Current and former students of Dr. Carmin at MIT.
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