Climate adaptation in practice: heat stress and the environmental and planning act
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2025-08-15
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en
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This study examines how the Environmental and Planning Act (2024) influences the prioritization and implementation of blue-green infrastructure (BGI) to reduce urban heat stress in two Dutch municipalities: ’s-Hertogenbosch (Spoorzone) and Utrecht (Merwedekanaalzone). Using a qualitative multiple case study approach, data was collected through semi-structured interviews with municipal policymakers, project managers, and planners, alongside a document analysis. The findings indicate that the Act plays a limited role in initiating new climate adaptation strategies. Rather than serving as a driver of innovation, it tends to formalize existing ambitions. Although its integrative and procedural flexibility is recognized, the Act remains underutilized in routine decision-making.
The comparative analysis reveals that differences in BGI governance are shaped more by institutional context than by the legal framework. ’s-Hertogenbosch adopts a legal-structural approach, embedding BGI in formal instruments but struggles with interdepartmental coordination. Utrecht employs a more adaptive, project-based strategy, emphasizing political leadership and spatial experimentation, yet faces resource constraints and lacks enforceable mechanisms.
Heat stress is rarely addressed as an explicit policy priority, often treated as a byproduct of broader greening efforts. The study highlights that legal frameworks alone are insufficient; effective climate adaptation requires organizational capacity, cross-sectoral collaboration, and sustained resources.
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Faculteit der Managementwetenschappen