Operationalizing Climate Resilient Development Pathways - a planning framework and its application in Cork, Ireland

Cities are increasingly recognized for their vulnerability to climate hazards and their pivotal role in achieving climate ambitions and sustainable development goals. Despite the growing interest in Climate Resilient Development Pathways (CRDP) as a framework to integrate climate action and development trajectories, the concept has yet to be operationalized for urban planning. Drawing on lessons from joint climate action in European cities and adaptive policy pathways planning, this research proposes three essential building blocks for CRDP planning in cities: (1) identifying and evaluating interactions between adaptation, mitigation, and sustainable development, (2) addressing time and uncertainty in planning, and (3) providing specialized information for CRDP. These building blocks were further developed into a structured framework for designing CRDPs and piloted in Cork, Ireland. The city of Cork currently faces joint challenges from increasing fluvial, pluvial and coastal flooding, as well as rapid growth and a commitment to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.

In this presentation, we will summarize the state of integrated climate action in European cities and the lessons for CRDP planning that inform our building blocks. We will also introduce the CRDP planning framework and illustrate its application in Cork, highlighting how synergies and co-benefits, as well as trade-offs are identified over time.

CRDP aims to achieve transformational change. The CRDP framework operationalizes this concept into a structured approach to move from siloed planning to comprehensive and integrated pathways for adaptation, mitigation and sustainable development for all.