The deliverable serves three purposes: First it lists core measures brought forward in literature and guidelines on how to make developing cities more resilient to climate change as well as some necessary conditions for effective implementation. Second it presents strategic measures for climate change adaptation based on stakeholder interactions and interviews in the two CLUVA cities: Dar es Salaam and Addis Ababa. Third it draws together the main points in recommendations on data needs and process for how to work towards more resilient cities.

The deliverable combines the identification of strategic measures for the case cities of Dar es Salaam and Addis Ababa (deliverable 3.7) with the making of recommendations for data needs and process (deliverable 3.8).

Climate change affects a city in a broad sense and therefore measures must be taken within several policy fields. Core measures are: to improve land use management and planning; upgrade urban drainage, better waste- and stormwater management and strengthen environmental planning.
These measures must be combined with the associated measures of: improved solid waste management; housing policies to promote alternatives to settlements in vulnerable areas; informal area policies and regularization; disaster management policies especially resettlement strategies also including livelihood restoration and supporting people in vulnerable areas to adapt.

Because of the complexity of climate change adaptation requires coordination both vertically from the international to local level and horizontally across sectors, with private sector actors, with NGOs, universities etc. Champions to drive adaptation as well as awareness raising and involvement are key factors. Adaptation also requires many different types of scientific and local knowledge.

While resilience will be increased if more measures are taken, it is not realistic that all measures can be implemented. Therefore an important first step is to find out where the momentum is in the cities, and which measures are likely to gain support and thus be implemented, and then chose these measures as the strategic adaptation measures.

In the case cities, as in many other developing cities, there is only limited momentum among stakeholders for a broad, city-wide climate change adaptation strategy. Efforts to make the cities resilient have to be explicitly and closely connected to the problems the cities already face to be relevant for stakeholders. In both case cities a barrier for city-wide climate change adaptation is a weak city administration. The cities are unable to address all issues but they might be able to take on some measures: those that can mobilize a range of stakeholders and their resources, that can create synergy effects, and that resonates with the experienced problems in the cities. In Addis Ababa framing adaptation as ‘integrated water management’; a city-wide approach based on the common interests and possible synergies across city sectors and levels for better water management seems to be a way forward. In Dar es Salaam the governance system seems too fragmented to drive an institutionally-led adaptation effort. Here ‘integrated local projects’ in the most vulnerable areas addressing land management, upgrading and livelihood projects seem to find resonance among stakeholders and could initiate a ‘learning-by-doing’ process of adaptation for a city-wide approach.
The two cases illustrate that there is no size-fits-all when it comes to adaptation and a strategic approach will be necessary for transformative action to take place in developing cities.

Recommendations for making cities more resilient are that they start integrated projects on particular pressing issues or in the most vulnerable areas now as well as coordinate and ‘climate proof’ relevant already on-going projects. In a longer-term perspective cities need to mainstream and integrate climate change adaptation and challenges with flooding and drought into the main city plans as well as in land use and environmental planning, urban services like drainage and solid waste management and upgrading programs etc.

Focus should be put on building networks between the stakeholders from integrated and on-going projects like local people, NGOs, CBOs, the municipality staff, national level coordinators etc. to create a basis for coordination, awareness raising, learning-by-doing and the development of champions. However, a necessary option is to continue a process involving stakeholders at different levels and in particular among top politicians and decision makers to develop powerful champions and create momentum for adaptation for the longer term.