World Bank Document

THE ROLE OF INSTITUTIONS, GOVERNANCE, AND URBAN PLANNING ■ 153

In terms of the key drivers and challenges for climate change at the urban
level, our literature review and case-study research concur that the key factors
shaping responses to mitigation are the following:

• Eff ective policy entrepreneurs


• Municipal competencies in critical areas such as transportation, infrastruc-
  ture, energy. and planning policy


• Access to additional fi nancial resources, and fl exibility in their deployment


• An enabling policy framework at national and regional levels


• Th e fi t between jurisdictional areas and problem boundaries


• Th e ability to engage partners to achieve action beyond the municipality


• Th e knowledge and resource capacity, as well as political support, generated
  by networks and partnerships


• The reframing of climate change as an issue of local importance and the
  absence of conflict between addressing climate change and other local
  priorities.

In terms of adaptation, we fi nd the following key factors:

• Availability of data and information about local impacts from climate change


• Good governance


• Access to fi nancial and human resources provided by the national govern-
  ment or international donors


• Coordination of policies and measure across both local agencies and levels
  of government


• Empowerment and training of civil society to help strengthen service provi-
  sion, environmental management, and the livelihoods of the most vulnerable
  people


• Nurturing a sense of readiness for disaster emergency.

In part, the diff erences in the drivers and the challenges faced refl ect the dif-
ferent type of city upon which the research base has been built. In relation
to climate change mitigation, our case studies and most of the available evi-
dence, relate to cities that have at least a minimal level of governance capacity
and oft en quite signifi cant resources for regulating, providing services, and
enabling stakeholder engagement. In low-income countries and cities with
minimal if any urban governance capacity, the challenges of addressing cli-
mate change are of a diff erent order. Th is is refl ected in our review of urban
responses to adaptation in which the literature stresses the importance of basic
governance functions and the provision of infrastructure to meet basic needs.
Nonetheless, our case-study fi ndings suggest that even where governance
capacity exists, climate change adaptation remains marginal. We suggest that
this could derive from the relative lack of action by transnational networks