Participatory Planning for Climate Compatible Development in Maputo, Mozambique (Planeamento Participativo para o Desenvolvimento Compatível com o Clima em Maputo, Moçambique)

“As climate change becomes part of the reality of the lives of millions of urban citizens around the world, cities face the dual challenge of planning for sustainable development and managing the growing climate risks that threaten urban livelihoods.”

This practitioners’ handbook highlights the experience of a pilot project in Maputo, Mozambique, which engaged with local residents in a neighbourhood to explore possible local responses to climate change. The project, funded by the Climate Development Knowledge Network (CDKN) and delivered by a consortium of local and international partners, used the Participatory Action Planning methodology to organise communities and develop mechanisms for institutional development through partnerships.

The project was awarded the United Nation’s Momentum for Change Award in 2013, which recognises game-changing initiatives by organisations, cities, industries, governments, and other key players taking the lead on tackling climate change. The project was chosen because it was considered an example of how participatory planning can engage residents to explore local responses to climate change

The dual-language (English/Portuguese) book brings an established body of scholarship around participatory planning to a real-world setting, with real-life examples of how to apply theory to practice. It addresses questions about the relevance of citizen participation in planning for climate compatible development and argues that there is a vast potential for engaging urban citizens through inclusive participatory approaches, and that their input could facilitate and accelerate planning processes that address climate change. It explores how a participatory planning process can empower citizens to develop a collective vision and present it to government institutions and private firms. At stated by the authors, the book is not attempting to deliver definitive guidance for city managers or a blueprint for participatory planning approaches for climate change adaptation, but offers inspiration in the search for alternatives.

The book is intended to be a resource for planners, experts, researchers, activists, and citizens interested in developing effective approaches for building resilient urban communities in the face of climate change. It has three main themes: The first theme addresses the question of how local residents can engage with complex climate change information. The second theme addresses the question of how planning for climate change can challenge the conditions that lead to the creation of urban injustices, and the third theme engages with the question of how local actors can build a support network to realise their visions.