Citizen Engagement and Just Adaptation to Flood Risk in Amsterdam: A Q-Methodology Analysis of Amsterdam Weerproof
Citizen Engagement and Just Adaptation to Flood Risk in Amsterdam: A Q-Methodology Analysis of Amsterdam Weerproof
Monday, 7 July 2025: 10:15
Location: SJES031 (Faculty of Legal, Economic, and Social Sciences (JES))
Oral Presentation
Citizen participation in climate adaptation is gaining traction, with an increasing number of cities resorting to the co-production of adaptation. This approach extends beyond collaborative planning, as individual citizens and the private sector are tasked with implementing flood-proof measures on their premises to improve overall soil permeability. Consequently, adaptation becomes a shared responsibility of all urban actors.
While community-based adaptation has the potential to address the limitations of top-down planning, relying on the private provision of public adaptation goods can have severe implications for climate justice. If a city’s flood security depends on citizens' action, the benefits of adaptation may become unevenly distributed depending on who has the resources to implement such measures.
The extent to which co-produced adaptation can contribute to climate (in)justice deserves further scrutiny. In particular, the literature is yet to address how the different actors involved in co-production (local governments, private businesses, and individual residents) frame climate justice and responsibility for flood adaptation.
This research aims to enrich the body of knowledge on citizen engagement in adaptation by using the case of Amsterdam. The Amsterdam Weerproof program, as a leading example of participatory flood adaptation in a city facing increasing pluvial flood risk, is an ideal case study to research the narratives underpinning the consideration of climate justice in such initiatives.
This research will employ Q-Methodology to reveal what are the dominant narratives on climate justice and responsibility for flood adaptation among the different figures involved in the programme, from private, public and civil society sectors. The Q study will highlight the different positions of actors and areas of consensus between such positions.
While community-based adaptation has the potential to address the limitations of top-down planning, relying on the private provision of public adaptation goods can have severe implications for climate justice. If a city’s flood security depends on citizens' action, the benefits of adaptation may become unevenly distributed depending on who has the resources to implement such measures.
The extent to which co-produced adaptation can contribute to climate (in)justice deserves further scrutiny. In particular, the literature is yet to address how the different actors involved in co-production (local governments, private businesses, and individual residents) frame climate justice and responsibility for flood adaptation.
This research aims to enrich the body of knowledge on citizen engagement in adaptation by using the case of Amsterdam. The Amsterdam Weerproof program, as a leading example of participatory flood adaptation in a city facing increasing pluvial flood risk, is an ideal case study to research the narratives underpinning the consideration of climate justice in such initiatives.
This research will employ Q-Methodology to reveal what are the dominant narratives on climate justice and responsibility for flood adaptation among the different figures involved in the programme, from private, public and civil society sectors. The Q study will highlight the different positions of actors and areas of consensus between such positions.
(Note: research work currently in progress, will be completed by early 2025)