EGOKI: integrating adaptation to climate change into the territorial and urban planning of Navarrese municipalities

Image Author: Javier García Fernández/Fototeca CENEAM

The Navarre Network Association of Local Entities for Sustainability (NELS), with the support of the Biodiversity Foundation and the Spanish Office for Climate Change, has conducted the EGOKI project (ADAPT project, in Basque) project. The purpose of this project was to incorporate climate change adaptation criteria in the urban planning of local entities in the Autonomous Community of Navarre.

Case Study Description

Challenges:

The EGOKI Project has sought to answer questions such as: how should we plan and manage the municipal territory in an integrated manner to reduce its vulnerability to climate change in urban, rural and natural environments; how can trees and green areas contribute to reducing the impact of heat waves; how should sewage networks be sized if climate change predicts an increase in torrential rains; how can buildings be transformed to maintain thermal comfort and reduce greenhouse gas emissions; and how can the local level be used as the ideal context for adaptation, since it is at the local level that changes have a direct effect on people's well-being and health and where policies can/should be implemented.

Anticipation is key and the local level is the ideal context for adaptation, as it is at the local scale that changes have a direct effect on people's well-being and health and where policies that favour territorial and social resilience can/should be implemented.

The incorporation of climate change adaptation into local planning is therefore unavoidable, and is especially relevant in urban planning:

In the urban sphere, planning conditions aspects such as the location of activities in areas that are sensitive to risks (floods, heat waves, etc.), the thermal comfort of housing and facilities, water management (increasingly critical), the environmental quality of outdoor spaces (with increasingly extreme temperatures), etc.

In the rural sphere, from a broad concept of municipal spatial planning that includes rural land, planning contributes to establishing conditions that favour the prevention of forest fires and their possible impact on population centres, the protection of the landscape, the promotion of ecological agriculture and extensive livestock farming, the sustainable management of forests, etc.

Reducing the vulnerability of Navarre's municipalities has been the main objective of EGOKI, and its result, a set of recommendations for integrating climate change adaptation criteria into urban planning procedures in Navarre.

The project has been developed in rural municipalities of small and medium size in terms of population (the pilot municipalities have less than 10,000 inhabitants), where there was little experience of adaptation, particularly in the urban sphere, but also in the application of adaptation criteria in rural land from the General Municipal Plan.

Some relevant challenges that were considered when integrating CC adaptation into urban planning were:

Linking planning with the development model.
Urban planning in relation to the rest of the territory.
Temporal scope of planning with respect to the horizon of climate change scenarios.
Determining content versus recommendations.
Flexibility in planning for incremental adaptation.
Coordination of general municipal planning and other municipal plans, especially Local Agenda 21 (which defines the municipal sustainability strategy) and related sectoral plans (forestry, flooding, health, etc.)

Objectives:

Overcome the knowledge barriers that lead to inaction in the face of climate change in the field of territorial planning.
To incorporate adaptation to climate change in the urban planning of local bodies in Navarre.
To find out the scenarios, impacts and vulnerability as well as the possible proposals for adaptation in different climatic sub-regions and types of municipalities.
To develop a pilot process in 4 municipalities that can be replicated throughout the Autonomous Community.
To transfer regulatory proposals to the Government of Navarre.

Adaptation measures implemented in the case study:

Institutional: National and governmental policies and programs

Social: Information options

Solutions:

The EGOKI project has contributed to achieving the objectives of the Navarre Climate Change Roadmap (KLINA) being developed by the Regional Government (with the participation of society as a whole) and, specifically, to preventing vulnerability derived from the impacts of climate change at local level.

The four pilot municipalities (Corella, Esteribar, Noain-Valle de Elorz and Villatuerta, local entities belonging to the NELS Network (Navarre Network of Sustainable Local Entities), different in terms of typology and climatic sub-region, piloted the work of incorporating climate change adaptation criteria in their urban planning, tutored by experts. The rest of the local entities integrated in the NELS Network and in the territory of Navarre as a whole have benefited from the knowledge that has been generated in the pilot experiences, the participation in training sessions and the promotion of the integration of climate change criteria in land and urban planning in the region of Navarre.

EGOKI has been developed in a participatory manner, through theoretical and practical training of agents, local workshops with technical planning commissions, debates in municipal plenary sessions, talks open to the public and exchange of experiences. As a conclusion to the process, the NELS Network formally presented the Government of Navarre with a document of specific proposals in the field of territorial and urban planning, which can be extended to the whole of the Autonomous Community in the form of technical planning instructions. The Territorial and Landscape Planning Service has overseen transposing it and transferring it to the municipalities.

The first of the activities was a theoretical-practical training course aimed at training agents, which increased general knowledge and initiated the work of the teams in the four municipalities, thanks to a participative methodology applied to the pilot cases.

Subsequently, the tutored process has been developed, with a proposal of measures and their integration into the planning through different mechanisms, and in coordination with other municipal and sectoral plans. The teams have shared knowledge by exchanging documents and holding joint meetings.

The technical documents generated have been presented to the Urban Planning Commissions of each city council and have been debated and approved in Municipal Plenary Sessions, thus guaranteeing the integration of the measures in each of the General Municipal Plans.

The methodology followed and specific to each municipality has been developed in several phases: categorisation of the municipal territory in relation to climate, study of climate variability, identification of impacts and systems and sectors exposed to risks, prioritisation of impact chains, vulnerability analysis and risk assessment, and adaptation measures characterised according to the planning instrument for their deployment, the implementation and execution mechanisms, and the scope and purpose of each measure.

By municipalities, some significant measures have been:

Corella, faced with the increase in temperature, contemplated the establishment in the Municipal Regulations and Ordinances of obligations or recommendations and criteria for the rehabilitation of dwellings, the installation of shading systems and water collection and storage. Also, the establishment of urban development conditions and criteria for correct ventilation, shading, vegetation, and the use of low albedo materials in streets and squares.
Esteribar, faced with the risk of forest fires, considered the classification of urban land and land for development considering the presence of wooded areas close to towns, the creation of firebreaks according to Civil Protection recommendations, the duplication of accesses to vulnerable populations and the regulation of uses of land not for development to avoid activities that could cause fires.
Noian-Valle de Elorz, faced with the risk of landscape degradation and the loss of biodiversity and crop yields, included the creation of a network of green paths (linked to the environmental strategy of Local Agenda 21), establishing a specific categorisation of suitable land, giving priority to communal land and defining the regulatory procedures for obtaining non-communal land. In addition, thanks to the training obtained through this project, the municipality's technical staff has developed a critical and focused approach to climate change adaptation, applying it to all the municipality's projects and areas of action.
Villatuerta, faced with the risk of river flooding, contemplated various actions on the course of the river Iranzu, which flows through the town, and the irrigation channels that feed it, including the declassification of land for development in flood-prone areas to create natural relief areas and the establishment of mechanisms for obtaining land (swaps and expropriations), as well as the creation of a regulation pool through a Special Plan on Undeveloped Land. In addition, it has conducted specific actions in two regattas in the municipality. In the first, an underground pipe was built to optimise water flow and improve drainage capacity during heavy rainfall. In the second, located in an area at risk of flooding, the channel was widened to reduce the risk of overflowing and protect the surrounding areas. These interventions have complemented the control and prevention measures, thus reinforcing the safety and resilience of the population and their environment against potential flooding.

Importance and relevance of the adaptation:

The EGOKI project has not only been a local climate change adaptation initiative, but also a significant contribution to the development of broader adaptation policies and practices in Navarra, aligned with the Navarra Climate Change Roadmap (KLINA).

Additional Details

Stakeholder engagement:

The EGOKI Project was and continues to be an initiative of the Navarre Network of Local Entities towards Sustainability (NELS Network) and is promoted and supported by the Government of Navarre (through the Directorate General for the Environment and Spatial Planning) and the collaboration of Lursarea- Territory and Sustainability Navarre Agency (integrated in the public company Nasuvinsa). The town councils of Corella, Esteribar, Noain-Valle de Elorz and Villatuerta have developed the pilot experiences and have contributed to financing the project. All these entities have signed a collaboration agreement at the beginning of the project to confirm their commitment to work together.

These four local councils have piloted the work of incorporating climate change adaptation criteria in the review of their urban planning, tutored by experts (advised by Tecnalia Research & Innovation). The rest of the local entities that are members of the NELS Network have benefited from the knowledge generated in the pilot experiences, the participation in training sessions and the promotion of the integration of climate change criteria in land and urban planning in the region of Navarre.

Lursarea and the Government of Navarra have provided technical and logistical support to the project and to the NELS Network: Lursarea has contributed to the design of the project and has hosted and offered technical support to the coordinator, and the Government of Navarra, which currently holds the Technical Secretariat of the NELS Network (through which it supports the project), has technically tutored the process from the Spatial Planning and Landscape Service.

The project has been supported by the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Food and Environment, through the Biodiversity Foundation, and its co-financing was approved in the Call for the granting of aid from the Biodiversity Foundation, on a competitive basis, for the implementation of projects in the field of adaptation to climate change 2016.

EGOKI has been developed in a participatory manner, through technical training courses in which the different agents involved have participated, local workshops, debates in municipal plenary sessions and talks open to the public.

The different actions aimed at different audiences (in addition to the technical teams of each of the pilot municipalities), such as the training course and the final technical seminar, have been disseminated via email and the social networks of the NELS Network (Facebook and X), as well as through press releases on the website of the Government of Navarra.

Project interest:

The project has shown that urban planning at the municipal level has an important potential for adaptation to climate change. It has been developed in small municipalities (less than 10,000 inhabitants) where there are few experiences of adaptation in the urban sphere, contributing from the General Municipal Plan to the incorporation of adaptation to climate change in the rural and natural environment (rural land management).

Likewise, the development of pilot initiatives has made it possible to verify the results of the actions and a greater dissemination for their replication in other municipalities with similar characteristics. On the other hand, the approach of the project as a participatory process that considers all the agents involved has favoured a greater appropriation of the adaptation measures adopted, giving the proposals sustainability over time.

The four municipalities participating in the EGOKI project (Corella, Esteribar, Noain-Valle de Elorz and Villatuerta) have expressed their satisfaction with the project and positively value the impact and effectiveness of the actions implemented. These experiences have not only proved to be effective but have also helped municipalities to develop a critical perspective on climate change adaptation in their future municipal projects.

Prior to their participation in the EGOKI project, the predominant focus in municipal planning was exclusively on mitigation; however, they now consider climate adaptation as an essential and cross-cutting aspect in their territorial planning.

This success has prompted the development of EGOKI 2, a project that deepens citizen participation and continues to expand the integration of climate adaptation in municipalities, both in Navarre and in the Basque Country. A total of 6 municipalities are participating in this second project, two in Álava (Asparrena and Elburgo) and 4 in Navarra (Arguedas, Peralta, Tafalla and Villava).

Success and limiting factors:

The process ended in June 2018, with the presentation by the NELS Network to the Government of Navarra of a document of specific proposals in the field of territorial and urban planning, which may be extended to the whole of the region in the form of Criteria or Technical Planning Instructions, depending on the transposition made by the Spatial Planning and Landscape Service. The fact that the four pilot municipalities are representative of most Navarre's municipalities and are in the four main climatic sub-regions identified in Navarre has guaranteed the transferability of the work.

During the process, minor inconveniences have arisen which, nevertheless, have not prevented the actions from being completed as planned and the objectives from being successfully achieved. Specifically, there was initial difficulty on the part of the agents participating in the training course (including the municipal work teams) in assimilating new concepts and technical aspects relating to climate adaptation in relation to urban planning, as well as difficulty in matching the pace and quality of the work of the different municipal teams at certain times. (In Navarre, most of the small municipalities do not have specific technicians and the planning drafting teams have had varying amounts of time available).

It is important to highlight that the political and technical commitment of the four pilot municipalities to EGOKI has been firm and, despite the difficulties that have arisen at certain times, they have provided solutions and given priority to the project. This, together with the collaborative work scheme and the commitment, also firm, of all the entities that have signed the agreement, has been the main success factor.

As for the development of the specific work on the integration of adaptation criteria in planning, it should be noted that, as this is a new subject, the different technicians have approached the work in different ways, and it has been difficult to compile the conclusions in a common document that should guide the work of all the municipalities in Navarre in the future.

It has been positive to see that the best way to advance knowledge is to learn by doing and by sharing and contrasting what is being worked on, thus demonstrating that the planned methodology has been very valid. It has been fundamental to have different teams working at the same time and supporting each other, because it has always facilitated the motivation of the technicians and prevented them from becoming discouraged due to a lack of confidence in their ability to tackle such a novel task.

During the process, useful data sources have been identified, as well as some gaps in information and specific studies needed to pinpoint climate scenarios, hazards, vulnerability and adaptive capacity of different systems and specific sectors. From this point of view, the process has also been useful to identify available and unavailable information that might be necessary to integrate climate adaptation into land and urban planning, and to convey to the Government of Navarra and Lursarea the need to carry out studies, collect indicators, etc. at the local scale. The positive aspect is that the lack of precise information has made it possible to train the capacity for analysis and decision-making at the discretion of the technicians (expert judgement).

It is worth highlighting once again the close collaboration between all the entities signing the agreement and adding the participation of the Navarre Delegation of the State Meteorological Agency (AEMET), which has also contributed to the project in training and advisory actions.

All the above has highlighted EGOKI as a project that facilitates coordination between public administrations and entities related to climate change, favouring the development of the Navarra Climate Change Roadmap (KLINA).

Budget, funding and additional benefits:

The total budget of the project was €54,365 (euros). The funding of the project is public and comes from different administrations: state, regional and local.

The project had the support of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Food and Environment through the Biodiversity Foundation and its funding was approved in the Call for the granting of aid from the Biodiversity Foundation, on a competitive basis, for the implementation of projects in the field of adaptation to climate change 2016.

The Biodiversity Foundation has financed 70% of the budget, which has meant a grant of €38,055 (euros). The 30%, €16,310 (euros) was provided by the NELS Network (€13,310) and the pilot municipalities (€750 each).

Both the Government of Navarra and Lursarea-Agencia Navarra del Territorio y la Sostenibilidad (integrated in the public company Nasuvinsa) have collaborated with the project, supporting the coordinator: the Government, through the Technical Secretariat of the NELS Network and the monitoring of the Spatial Planning and Landscape Service, and Lursarea, contributing to the design of the project and hosting and providing technical support to the coordinator.

The project has been successfully completed: the agents involved in spatial and urban planning in Navarre have been trained, the four pilot municipalities have completed the process and the conclusions of their work can be transferred to the territory of Navarre as a whole. The involvement of the work teams (municipal technicians and planning drafting teams) has been fundamental. The training of the planning drafting teams in this field is considered key to extending the incorporation of climate change adaptation criteria to other General Municipal Plans and plans of different scales (there are few urban planning specialists working in Navarre and all of them work in different municipalities at the same time).

The EGOKI project has been a pioneer in the establishment of adaptive planning and management of the territory and the built environment in Navarra, the continuity of which is guaranteed thanks to the training of agents, the development of Criteria or Technical Instructions for planning and the coordination of this work with the development of the Navarra Climate Change Roadmap (KLINA) and with the LIFE Integrated NADAPTA project.

EGOKI has been highly effective from a cost-benefit point of view, as with a modest budget it has managed to achieve exceptionally results, which will be sustained and increased over time.

Legal aspects:

Compliance with Regional Legislation:

The project was under the guidelines and objectives set out in the KLINA, which is the strategic framework of the Government of Navarra to combat climate change through adaptation and mitigation.

As part of its implementation, the EGOKI project was subject to the urban and territorial planning regulations of Navarra, which regulate the use of land, the construction of infrastructures, and the management of natural resources and green spaces.

Integration of Adaptation Criteria in Municipal Planning:

The recommendations of the EGOKI project are intended to be integrated into the urban planning procedures of Navarre's municipalities, which implies modifications or adaptations to existing municipal plans. This may require review and approval by the relevant regulatory bodies to ensure that they comply with local and regional laws.

Coordination with Existing Plans:

The project had to coordinate with other municipal and regional plans and policies, such as Local Agenda 21 and sectoral plans (forestry, flooding, health, etc.) This ensured that climate change adaptation measures are aligned with other sustainable development initiatives and did not create regulatory or implementation conflicts.

Implementation time:

September 2017 – June 2018

Reference Information

Contact:

Edurne Arkotxa Zabala
Technical Secretariat of the Navarre Network Association of Local Entities for Sustainability (NELS) / NELS Sareko idazkaritza
Phone: 694223308
e-mail: secretaria@nels.es

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