The role of planning for more resilient low-medium altitude (snow-related) communities. Insights from the BeyondSnow project.

Abstract

In recent years, mountain communities related with the snow tourism sector has been dealing with various and in some cases highly challenging trends. Above all, climate change effects, especially increasing temperatures and decreasing snow-reliability, have been already observed and are expected to intensify in the future (Marty, 2013). This, accompanied by social and demographic changes, can lead to a potential decrease in the attractiveness of snow tourism destinations (hereinafter STDs) and a consequential weakening of their local economies. Analyses from the ongoing European Alpine Space project 'BeyondSnow' indicate that the most afflicted are potentially the smaller, lower-altitude ones. The cascading effects of the lack of snow and climate change more generally, however, also impact directly or indirectly on the community key infrastructures and on settlements making these communities even more vulnerable. Following the IPCC (2022) definition, vulnerability is defined as “the propensity or predisposition to be adversely affected, a quality shaped by diverse factors, including exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity” recognizing the intricate interplay between environmental shifts and societal dynamics. These dynamics have evident reflections on planning. However, are the actual planning tools and practices for these small alpine mountain areas at low-medium altitude adequate to effectively deal with them? Which planning innovations can contribute making these communities more resilient to climate change and in particular to its effects in the winter tourist season? If “nature-based solutions for adaptation hold huge potential to work right now to buffer the impacts of climate hazards for frontline communities (FEBA, 2017), how do they relate to planning in these contexts? What can be the relationship between planning and ad-hoc local/regional transition strategies reducing the vulnerability of STDs? Starting from the insights of the BeyondSnow project, authors aim at giving a contribution to support planning efforts for community adaptation transition paths towards more resilient scenarios and sustainable development.