Co-designing soft climate adaptation

This research paper evaluates a staged co-creation process used in four European pilot regions to involve diverse citizen groups—including youth and vulnerable populations—in designing 'soft' climate adaptation measures. The study identifies four recurring typologies of adaptation measures and outlines the facilitators and barriers to effective citizen engagement in municipal climate policy.

• The study utilized a structured, adaptable co-creation sequence consisting of stakeholder mapping, inception workshops, target-group focus groups, and multi-stakeholder co-creation to engage youth, working populations, multicultural communities, and vulnerable citizens. This process resulted in the identification of four recurrent soft adaptation measure typologies across the pilot sites and target groups, although specific design features remained dependent on local institutional, socio-cultural, physical, and climatic conditions.
• Effective outcomes in the co-creation process were driven by three primary factors: the use of socio-culturally tailored formats, facilitation that reduced barriers to participation, and continuity to allow for iteration and trust-building. Conversely, the process was hindered by gaps in representation, coordination, and responsibility, as well as limitations in resources, time, and communication accessibility.
• The research suggests that equitable and actionable climate adaptation can be achieved by integrating citizen engagement processes into municipal budget and policy cycles. It further proposes supporting distributed, low-cost actions through civic partners, housing associations, workplaces, and schools.

APA

Stockholm Environment Institute (2026). Co-designing soft climate adaptation. https://www.sei.org/publications/co-designing-soft-climate-adaptation/

Chicago

Stockholm Environment Institute. Co-designing soft climate adaptation. 2026. https://www.sei.org/publications/co-designing-soft-climate-adaptation/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Stockholm Environment Institute |title=Co-designing soft climate adaptation |date=18 February 2026 |url=https://www.sei.org/publications/co-designing-soft-climate-adaptation/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{stockholmenvironmentinstitute2026codesigning, author = {{Stockholm Environment Institute}}, title = {{Co-designing soft climate adaptation}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2026}, month = feb, url = {https://www.sei.org/publications/co-designing-soft-climate-adaptation/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }