Municipalities' ability to adapt the existing built environment to the changing climate : A case study of Täby, Vellinge, and Gothenburg

Sammanfattning: One of the most challenging issues within the planning and development process of our cities and societies is the changing climate that already can be seen in several parts of the world. To be able to decrease the cities’ and societies’ vulnerability towards these projections it is important to actively work with climate adaptation. Today, the majority of the climate adaptation measures are implemented in new developments, and not in the same extent in the existing built environment. Because the projected climate changes will affect all parts of the cities and societies it is important to work with an overarching climate adaptation. Within the Swedish context, the municipality has an important role in the work with climate adaptation. The aim of this master thesis is to generate an understanding of how Swedish municipalities work with climate adaptation within the existing built environment, and what challenges they face within their work. Additionally, the study will look at how the current legislation affects the municipal climate adaptation work, and how the new amendments in PBL, will affect the municipalities’ work. Three municipalities (Täby, Vellinge, and Gothenburg) have been studied to be able to conduct this master thesis, where sixteen interviewees from the municipalities, as well as from the Stockholm County Administrative Board and from Sweco, a Swedish consulting company, have been interviewed. The results from the study show that several challenges that the municipalities, in the current situation, are facing and are affecting their climate adaptation work. The main challenges that was identifies were the uncertain forecasts, the political will and priorities, the division of responsibility, the financial responsibility, and conflicting legislations. These challenges are creating limitations and difficulties for the municipalities to act in the issue of adapting to the changing climate, especially within the existing built environment. In the current situation, the three studies municipalities have started their climate adaptation work but are facing difficulties with going forward in the process.