Analyzing Urban Adaptation Strategies to Climate Ch ange: A Comparison of the Coastal Cities of Dhaka, Lagos and Hamburg

Abstract: In research on climate change and urban studies meg a-cities are commonly referred to as actors prone to the risks of climate change. They h ave also an increased responsibility for developing policies for the reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (mitigation). Com- prehensive studies about the political role of citi es towards adaptation to climate change are rare. Mega-cities are referred to as problem causer s and problem solvers. On the one hand, cities are highly affected by and therefore vulnera ble to the impacts of climate change. Mega- cities in delta and coastal regions are especially prone to sea-level rise or extreme weather events. While cities increasingly engage in mitigat ion activities to reduce GHG emissions, urban awareness of the necessity to develop and imp lement adaption strategies and measures emerge slowly. The engagement of cities in adaptati on varies in the degree to which strategies and measures are developed and implemented: Some pa rticularly European cities display a distinct problem awareness, develop and implement l ong-term adaption strategies and voluntarily engage in transnational collective gove rnance arrangements; other cities, predominantly in the developing world, possess a we ak problem awareness, develop and implement short-term adaptation strategies, and hav e only started to engage in collective governance arrangements. This paper applies a parti cipatory approach and assumes that certain socio-political conditions within mega-citi es – namely local values, social learning and modes of governance – influence urban behaviora l modifications towards adaptation activities. The empirical section focuses on adapta tion in the two mega-cities of Dhaka and Lagos. It confronts empirical findings with measure s in the city of Hamburg – a city which does not correspond to the type of a mega-city.