The 29th AIM International Workshop
Lab. SYNERGY

Developing a Spatial Climate Adaptation Framework with a Citizen Participatory Approach*1*1
Somin Park , Chan Park
*1 University Of Seoul, Korea

Results

Study sites
Spatial adaptation framework

Climate change adaptation system in Korea▪ Under the Carbon Neutrality Act, SouthKorea requires local governments tocreate climate adaptation plans every
five years(226 in total). Started in 2020,
many local governments are now
working on their second adaptationplans.
▪ Sectors of plan: health, ecosystems,
water management, land and coastalareas, industry and energy, agriculture
and fisheries▪ To assist local governments’ planning,
thenationalgovernmenthas
developed assessment tools : MOTIVE(impacts) and VESTAP (vulnerabilities).
VESTAP assesses relative vulnerabilities
at the neighborhood unit(dong) for
each sector-specific evaluation item.
▪ Recently, many regions have been
experiencing increasing damage due tohigher temperatures and increased
rainfall.

Phase

Incheon-si

Seodaemun-gu, Seoul

Suwon-si

Tasks

Challenges
Identification

Risks Assessment
and Prioritization

Planning

South Korea

Wonju-si(national park area)Monitoringand evaluation

Introduction▪ The rapid climate change is expected to exceed capacity soon, but its impact tends to vary by region
and the resulting damages also differ depending on the social context. Therefore, it is essential toassess and respond to climate change impacts and conditions at the local level. Furthermore, spatialplanning becomes increasingly important in determining how and where to allocate specific options.
▪ "Living lab" can be described as the development of solutions through user-oriented open innovation,
involving testing and assessment("labs") in real-life contexts("living"). In this project, unlike past topdown planning and tool development approaches, we aim to address climate change adaptation issues
through a bottom-up approach.
▪ The objectives of this research project are to support local governments in developing adaptationplans through a living lab approach (spatial planning) and to develop and validate usability of decisionsupport tools so that it can be practically used throughout the planning process(development of tools).

Methods▪ literature review on adaptation frameworks, decision support tools, and living labs case studies▪ To examine South Korea's climate change adaptation system, urban planning, and environmental
planning guidelines▪ To draft a framework specific to Korean local governments and then gather feedback from experts▪ Through newspaper articles, local reports, and interviews with local decision-makers, we identified
issues that require resolution through spatial planning for each regions

This work was supported by Korea Environment Industry & Technology Institute(KEITI)
through Climate Change R&D Project for New Climate Regime Program, funded by Korea
Ministry of Environment(MOE)(RS-2023-00221110)

Key Questions

Identifying sectors requiring response aspriorities and local issues that need attention
Building consensus on the need for adaptation
Identifying the region's key assets/values

What sector requires urgent adaptation in our region? Have past
events caused significant damage, and do we anticipate
similar/new impacts in the future?
Should we invest in adaptation, or accept some damages?
What are the critical facilities/services in our region?

Selecting specific risk to assess in each sector
Understanding risk assessment methods
Data collection for risk assessment (ifnecessary)
Assessing risks and determining priorities,including vulnerable areas and populations

Which risks in our region require special attention?
What data and methodologies can be used to assess this risk?
If existing data are inadequate, what data should be collected?
Where do damages exceed local capacity? Where do the mostvulnerable groups/facilities/services exist? Where is the mosturgent response needed?

Identifying adaptation options available
Considering the adaptive pathways and spatialplanning alternatives
Decision on plan with alternative comparisons
Implementing the plan

What adaptation technologies/policies are available for us?
What are the goals of adaptation? Considering future climate change, Co-design
which technologies/policies should be applied where at each time?
Considering our conditions, what is the most optimal and feasible plan?
How to implement the plan, and who will carry it out?

Collecting data for plan evaluation indicators
Assessing thresholds in the adaptive pathway
and making decisions on its continuity
Evaluating planned outcomes, ancillary
benefits, and seeking improvements

Have the applied adaptation technologies/policies been
sufficiently effective?
Is the currently applied technology/policy sufficient, or are
additional measures needed?
Are the adaptation goals being achieved? Have there been any
additional benefits? What areas require improvement?

Co-commi-ssioning/Co-analysis

Types of living labs and activities

Key participants

Sharing empirical knowledge of pastdamages and key assets/values
Setting agendas for sectors/issues
requiring adaptation
Selecting risk criteria based on local
assets (exposure) and future impacts(hazards)
Collecting/analyzing region-specific data
Based on the assessment, determine theneed for response and establish priorities

local community
stakeholders
Experts
Planners
publicadministrator

Setting adaptation goals
Determining the preference/feasibility ofadaptation options
Designing adaptive pathways and a
spatial plan together

stakeholders
Experts
Planners
publicadministrator

Planning for implementation throughconsensus

local community
stakeholders
publicadministrator

Co-delivery

Co-assess-mentCollecting monitoring data
Assessing the achievement of adaptation
goals and additional benefits

local community
stakeholders
publicadministrator

regional issues needing sector-specific spatial plans
SectorRegional issues
Required information
Ecosystem managing private land within nat• Changes of disaster risks in forest area (damage
ional parks and wildland-urban inarea/cost, etc.) due to land use changes
terface developments• Setting conservation priorities based on multi-objective
optimization
landslides and wildfires risks• wildfire and landslide risks
management of endangered spe• Projection of biodiversity/habitat density with climatecies and biodiversityand development scenarios
increasing pollen damage• management strategies considering species that trigger
pollen allergies and the potential damage scale

SectorRegional issues
Floodings(streams, urban)
Watermanagement Drought and water stress
Increased heat exposure
LandIncentives for disaster prev
ention planning

Required information• future water demand and drought projections• urban green space planning strategies considering
future drought• identification of flood-prone areas and damage
prediction, response priorities• comparisons among flood risk reduction measures• urban heat exposure and risks, mitigation strategies• benefits of optimal land use considering climatechangeDiscussion▪ A bottom-up approach is not the ultimate solution in all areas. It also requires substantial time and resources. It's essential to differentiate between parts and issues of theadaptation plan where a bottom-up method is effective and where it is not.
▪ Decision support tools for adaptation planning should provide information in a step-by-step manner rather than following a 'one-size-fits-all' approach. With uncertainties andcomplexity of climate change and adaptation, generic tools can obscure the information needed by local decision-makers and make it difficult to determine when to use them.
▪ It is essential to involve users from the initial setup to the development of tools to make sure it can be practically used in local planning.

Next step▪ As this is the first year of this project, we are planning to develop and validate decision support tools that users need in adaptation and support the establishment of adaptationplans over the next six years (2023-2028) in pilot study sites, with local community members.
▪ Based on the lessons learned from conducting living labs in pilot sites, we will develop guidelines and provide tools to enable participation-based adaptation in other regions,promoting its diffusion.