Contextual Prerequisites for Implementing Web-Based Tools in Urban Climate Adaptation

Abstract

The number of digital and web-based tools aimed at supporting climate adaptation planning and climate-resilient development is steadily rising (e.g., Balogun et al., 2020). Many of these tools initially focused on informing the public sector, like local municipal authorities and planners, but in recent years, there has been a shift towards tailoring these tools for community-based organisations and locally led adaptation planning processes (Brzoska et al., 2022). This shift could facilitate more bottom-up, people-centric approaches to adaptation planning, especially in municipal regions facing declining capacities in the public sector or under-resourced communities like informal settlements. Yet, many barriers and challenges remain, as the effectiveness of web-based tools for urban climate adaptation hinges not only on their technical capabilities but also on fulfilling the socio-ecological-technological (SET) prerequisites of the context and user groups they are intended to serve (e.g., McEvoy et al., 2018). Foremost is the critique of the potential of these tools in fostering a technocratic approach, at the expense of political, cultural, and/or social considerations (e.g., Young, 2021). The next challenge is that adaptation decision-making power is not always decentralised. In cases where it is, local power dynamics often influence who is identified as requiring adaptation support, measures adopted and the outcomes (Nath, 2024). Arriving at consensus with diverse actors and stakeholder groups involved also remains a major challenge (e.g., Allen, 2006). Therefore, this paper discusses the prerequisites for web-based tools to be effective in supporting climate adaptation in under-resourced communities by taking the case of under-resourced communities of two distinct natures and user groups: one focusing on financial and human resource-strained municipalities in small and medium-sized towns in Germany and another in the context of slums in India. It reviews grey and scientific literature, reporting on user evaluation of web-based tools to gain insights into the factors influencing their usability, focusing on tools targeting local actors and stakeholders. Findings from the literature are measured against what is currently being practiced by climate adaptation tool developers, by interviewing researchers of the German research project KlimaKonform, under the umbrella BMBF funded project of RegIKlim. To assess the applicability of these tools in slums, key informants involved in slum upgrading were identified and interviewed. The paper concludes by emphasising that for web-based adaptation decision support tools to be effective, they must be part of a larger participatory and reflexive process, rather than a one-off solution. It also highlights that although these tools are promising, ground realities like digital literacy, ICT penetration, or community priorities can deter their adoption.

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