Innovative Climate Adaptation Measurement Strategies in 13 Global Cities

The report examines how 13 global cities are evolving their climate adaptation measurement strategies, moving from simple output tracking to outcome-based evaluations. It highlights the importance of collaborative governance, the need for structured internal knowledge management to prevent the loss of institutional memory, and the integration of community-centric approaches to ensure equity and inclusivity. The document identifies systemic challenges such as data silos, resource constraints, and legal restrictions like GDPR, while proposing strategies to strengthen data infrastructure and foster a culture of continuous learning.

• Cities are attempting to shift from tracking simple outputs to comprehensive, outcome-based evaluations that measure real-world impacts. For example, Montreal integrates social capital surveys and a "climate test" for all city decisions, while Vancouver focuses on equity outcome-oriented metrics to track the impact of adaptation strategies on vulnerable populations.
• Collaborative governance models are being used to coordinate adaptation efforts across departments and regions. Madrid integrates adaptation into its master plan to require nature-based solutions in new infrastructure, and the Glasgow City Region uses the Climate Ready Clyde partnership to facilitate a unified response across multiple local authorities.
• Many cities suffer from a lack of structured learning frameworks, leading to a reliance on anecdotal evidence and the loss of institutional memory when staff leave. Auckland and the Gold Coast have specifically identified the need for platforms to capture and share lessons learned to avoid the loss of critical internal knowledge.
• Inclusive adaptation planning is being achieved through community-centric MERL processes. Auckland incorporates Maori views into its targets, Santa Cruz uses culturally relevant outreach like Loteria and comic books, and Alghero utilizes the ADAPTWISE project to co-design small-scale interventions with vulnerable communities.
• Significant barriers to effective MERL include data silos, financial constraints, and legal restrictions. In Europe, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) specifically hinders the collection and sharing of heat morbidity and mortality data for adaptation purposes.

APA

Marino, A., Lewis, W., Amorim-Maia, A. T., & Olazabal, M. (2024). Innovative Climate Adaptation Measurement Strategies in 13 Global Cities. Basque Centre for Climate Change. https://www.bc3research.org/h6T8Uy8Nm4gFs0O/202410290154292039066053.pdf

Chicago

Marino, Amanda, William Lewis, Ana Terra Amorim-Maia, and Marta Olazabal. Innovative Climate Adaptation Measurement Strategies in 13 Global Cities. Basque Centre for Climate Change, 2024. https://www.bc3research.org/h6T8Uy8Nm4gFs0O/202410290154292039066053.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Marino |first1=Amanda |last2=Lewis |first2=William |last3=Amorim-Maia |first3=Ana Terra |last4=Olazabal |first4=Marta |title=Innovative Climate Adaptation Measurement Strategies in 13 Global Cities |publisher=Basque Centre for Climate Change |date=October 2024 |url=https://www.bc3research.org/h6T8Uy8Nm4gFs0O/202410290154292039066053.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{marino2024innovative, author = {Marino, Amanda and Lewis, William and Amorim-Maia, Ana Terra and Olazabal, Marta}, title = {{Innovative Climate Adaptation Measurement Strategies in 13 Global Cities}}, institution = {Basque Centre for Climate Change}, year = {2024}, month = oct, url = {https://www.bc3research.org/h6T8Uy8Nm4gFs0O/202410290154292039066053.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }