Building an Equitable Climate Change Adaptation Strategy (Vancouver, BC); part of the Municipalities for Climate Innovation Program

Overview:

• In 2017, Vancouver partnered with Evergreen to consult with city residents who are most vulnerable to heat and poor air quality, to better understand the challenges, needs and preferences of these groups and use that information to inform the city's climate adaptation planning, policies and actions and its extreme heat response
• The research and consultations addressed three main topics: current experiences of climate change, concerns over future risks, and priorities for addressing climate change impacts

Insights:

• Consultation with community agencies is an important step in designing appropriate engagement activities
  • Stakeholder interviews with frontline staff provided context and informed the development of engagement activities for each community
• Seeking input on communities' lived experiences supports effective planning
  • The quotes from residents and the statistics about their behavior and needs have proven to be powerful when communicating with senior management
• Proper engagement and outreach takes time
  • Initially, the project was planned to last for six months, but it ultimately took about a year and would have benefitted from an additional year
• The seasonal timing of climate adaptation conversations matters
  • Interviews with city staff and partner organizations started in October 2018. It was difficult to get input on issues related to extreme heat and wildfire smoke when people were focused on preparing for winter
• Customized engagement yields results
  • The engagement activities and questions were targeted to reflect the socio-cultural values and interests of each community. This attracted people who don't normally participate in traditional meetings or surveys and resulted in more in-depth feedback. Offering multiple pathways for engagement was a key to success
• Tailored adaptation solutions for different groups can help to address equity concerns
  • It quickly became apparent that the very diverse targeted population wasn't a monolith, both in terms of how individuals currently experience the impacts of heat and smoke, and in terms of how they might make use of adaptation solutions in future
• Unusual suspects can support fostering resilience within vulnerable communities
  • Building managers can be important conveyors of information to the residents they interact with and can also support the effective and safe operation of buildings to better manage heat

Equity Implications: