Mapping stakeholders in two delta cities in the Greater Rotterdam Living Lab to improve co-creative approaches to climate change adaptation

Abstract

Homes and communities are becoming more vulnerable to climate change. Particularly now, when the pace of climatic change is increasing, safety and liveability concerns are of the utmost importance. The two coastal delta cities of Rotterdam and Dordrecht make up the Greater Rotterdam Living Lab (GRLL) for the RED&BLUE research project. Both cities have identified urban use cases based on their present priorities for various climate issues. These urban cases are dealing with combined effects of climate change, including extreme rainfall, flooding, changes in groundwater levels, subsidence, heat, and drought, in various stages of development. In some cases, existing housing areas are to be retrofitted for climate-proofing, while others are to be designed as new (additional) housing stock, low density uses developments and future evacuation areas. Different stakeholders are involved in the process of creating and planning these integrated strategies as well as their actual implementation. It is challenging to identify all stakeholders; however, to have real integrated strategies, the less visible stakeholders, including those who will be most affected, need to be acknowledged, identified, and involved in creating solutions. The current study presents an approach for integrated stakeholder mapping. Through interviewing stakeholders currently involved in the urban use cases of the GRLL we (a) identified and categorized relevant stakeholders, (b) map their interests and resources, and (c) identified thematic areas of interests where the stakeholders are involved. The purpose of this research is to demonstrate that there are more stakeholders to be considered and to visualize how different interests are aligned. This in contrast to specifying who the important stakeholders are and how much power they have. By identifying the stakeholders presently involved and in which areas, we would like to contribute to enhancing the co-creation process for climate adaptive strategies that is inherent in a living laboratory.