Changes in weather patterns due to climate change, such as increased precipitation intensity and hotter and dryer summers, are already occurring despite efforts to reduce emissions. Climate adaptation (CA) is a crucial method to deal with these effects of climate change. An example of an endorsed CA measure is in increasing and improving urban green space (UGS). The Dutch government aims to promote participation and stimulate citizen action, but municipalities have not adopted this outlook on citizen action yet. An example of such actions are Green Citizen Initiatives (GCIs), which are valued by municipalities because of the creation of public value in non-state and non-market ways, contributing to CA by creating and improving UGS. Municipalities can facilitate these initiatives by maintaining ownership of the initiative and UGS with the initiators, whilst steering and supporting the process and providing resources. Recent literature has identified barriers that affect the process of realising GCIs. It showed that there is no clear, common or singular approach employed by municipalities to facilitate GCIs. Therefore, this thesis aims to provide insights into the process of realising GCIs and the barriers municipalities and initiators face to improve facilitation of GCIs. This is achieved by answering the following main research question: How can Dutch municipalities facilitate green citizen initiatives to contribute to local climate adaptation?

The process of facilitating GCIs was defined from the perspective of GCI initiators based on literature, including the following five phases; Gathering Support, Gathering Resources, Design, Execution and Maintenance. After each phase a moment of evaluation should take place to decide if returning to an earlier phase is needed. Semi-structured interviews and a card-sort were used to gather practical data on this process. Thematic analysis of this data revealed eight key barriers. Recommendations to mitigate these barriers were identified, with which the Citizen Empowerment for Climate Adaptation (CEfCA) framework was developed. Municipalities can apply this framework to reduce the negative effects of the barriers and increase the number of successful GCIs for CA. This framework was validated by an expert discussion with a participant from front running municipality Arnhem, that currently already actively facilitates GCIs.

This thesis attempts to fill the gap in scientific literature on how GCIs are facilitated and how to improve this in practice. The CEfCA-framework provides recommendations to improve the process of realising GCIs, but a change in attitude towards CA with instead of for citizens may be needed to effectively implement the proposed framework. Further research is recommended on how this systemic change in outlook can be achieved.

Climate change impacts disproportionately the most vulnerable citizens in urban areas. Meaningful participation can be one of the tools to combat urban adaptation injustice, as understanding vulnerabilities and co-creation with vulnerable groups of citizens can help create adaptations that are fair to everyone. In Prague, Czech Republic, post-war neighbourhoods house the majority of the residents, but the public space in these areas is often overlooked, undermaintained and exclusive. This thesis analyses the realm of urban adaptation justice, participation with socially vulnerable groups of citizens and public spaces of Černý Most in Prague. In collaboration with two local NGOs, three participatory events in the field were designed and executed: A streetwalk with homeless people, A neighbourhood walks with residents, and A co-design workshop with socially vulnerable teenagers. These events helped uncover a social conflict in the neighbourhood, resulting in alterations of the public space to intentionally exclude certain groups of citizens. This exclusion results in hurting everyone and reinforcing and redistributing sources of vulnerability. The design consists of general neighbourhood design principles that are usable throughout the whole district. The final part is a design of a new public park, addressing the conflict, designed using the outcomes of the participation events and proposing a new future for the neighbourhood.

The energy transition is a complex challenge for cities. All sectors of society will have to change. Many sustainable opportunities arise, but injustices are still present. Often, people in disadvantaged positions are not properly recognized, included in decisions and left to deal with the burdens. Lack in proper citizen participation, causes current energy transition policies to appear distant from the local, implementation scale. Using socio-economic, spatial analysis and governance mapping, this project showcases energy vulnerabilities and the skewed institutional perspectives on local transition capacities. By combining expert interviews, policy analysis and imaginative co-creation sessions in the case study area of Hillesluis, Rotterdam, a more just governance structure and inclusive participatory practice can be formed. The project exposes injustices in underlying systems of power and decision making, as many policy incentives are aimed towards financial benefits. The current participatory process of transitions in itself is characterized by ex-ante responses and informs rather than actively engages communities. This results in many citizens who are in disadvantaged positions, albeit financially or socially, are left out. Thus keeping loops of injustice in place. Through theoretical and co-creation experimenting, a just participation process was formed, however the execution therein showcased many difficulties. Measures such as frequent city-wide campaigns, transparency and adaptive area-based strategies could divert these fragilities in participatory processes for future sustainable transition research. As socio-technical transitions are becoming more complex, innovative perspectives and empirical research are needed. This project not only critically examines current governance structures and participation processes, but proposes measures to overcome the experienced socio-spatial and procedural barriers towards just energy transitions. Resulting in more human-centred and socially innovative policy aims towards a just energy transition for all.