Author(s)

MOHAMMAD BARAD HOSSAIN CHOWDHURY

Abstract

Recent global climate data clearly indicates adaptation to climate change could be one of the preeminent ways to deal with future climate uncertainties. The paradigm shift from mitigation to adaptation clearly focused on local context. Local governments (LGs), especially in the cities, are viewing this as a significant platform to include adaptation options in their development agenda. In such milieu, this study aims to find how the agents responsible for planning of a small municipality see climate change adaptation along with infrastructure development, service delivery and economic benefit. This study qualitatively analyses the planning documents for the investigation. The result confirms that, when local economic benefits are on top of the municipality’s development agenda, climate adaptation provisions become secondary. Combined with the lack of national adaptation policies, unclear climate datasets and local political incongruity, the adaptation initiatives at the small municipality level remain nebulous. Such development planning with a blurry adaptation needs to put adequate attention to climate knowledge and adaptation provisions.

Keywords

adaptation, municipality, planning, master plan, plan quality, city, climate change