Participatory Modelling in Practice: Equitable adaptation planning for river and desert communities living under extreme climate risk

How we adapt to climate change extremes in vulnerable urban settlements will shape the future of cities. A fundamental principle of achieving equitable adaptation is the mobilisation of local knowledge.

Researchers have investigated Participatory Modelling as an approach to share knowledge between technical and non-technical stakeholders to improve equitable adaptation planning.

However, whether and how Participatory Modelling changes modelling or planning outcomes in real-world projects is largely unknown. This project addresses this knowledge gap.

As both practitioner and researcher, I will conduct a systemic inquiry into four planning and modelling projects in extreme heat and flood-exposed settlements of East Africa and North America.

Within each project I will address four key questions: i) when and how does participation happen in the modelling process? ii) does it influence the process? iii) does it change the outputs? and iv) does it matter to the wider planning process?

I will assemble a rich qualitative and quantitative record of the process, engaging with respondents from modelling, civil society, and government to establish linkages between process, decisions, and spatial and social outcomes. These data will allow me to observe and identify whether a redistribution of relations and expertise takes place.

The results, from the frontiers of climate action, will inform new science-driven methods for planning and engineering practice worldwide.