Developing a Framework for Improving Climate Resilience in Cultural Landscapes

Cultural landscapes are places where human and natural forces come together. Landscapes are places where knowledge is stored, and variables change slowly, yet they are also places where change is constant. As a spatial expression of a socio-ecological system, a cultural landscape provides a space for social learning and cross-disciplinary action. For decades, rural protectionist ideologies have dominated landscape governance. However, this viewpoint has evolved to include environmental sensitivity in land management, exemplary sustainable development methods, and broad stakeholder participation in setting goals. If this is to progress towards the promotion of spatial resilience, scientists and policymakers must have a better understanding of the optimal rates and intensities of change, as well as the functions and potential tipping points of landscapes. To do this, urban planners must take action in space and place. They need to give space for natural systems to reconnect, renew themselves, and promote spatial properties that give people a sense of security, enrichment, and knowledge. Deliberative processes and the principled pursuit of sustainability must be used to regulate interventions in the direction of landscape change, which can be controversial and challenging at times. This research aims to understand how urban governance and policy may provide room for enhancing the resilience of cultural landscapes to climate change risks by selecting the cultural landscapes of Cinque Terre (Italy) and the Region of Waterloo (Canada). The case studies were selected using a number of criteria. First, there was the presumption that the fact that Italy and Canada are both industrialized Western economies with robust democratic governance systems makes it possible for an easier comparison of research findings. This assumption was based on the fact that both countries have governance systems that are very similar. In addition, unlike Italy and Canada, the United States lacks a national land-use planning framework of its own. Second, different regions of the world are impacted by the effects of climate change in a variety of unique ways: It is anticipated that the mean temperature will rise in the majority of sites. In addition, some areas will have an increase in precipitation, whilst others will face an increase in the frequency of droughts. Therefore, rather than specifying particular climate change impacts as selection criteria, my objective was to get a deeper understanding of methods that facilitate participatory planning for the purpose of mitigating risk in cultural landscapes in response to a wide range of climate change effects. As a result, adding case studies from the United States would have added complexity to any comparison and was thus avoided. Finally, a criterion for case study selection was the requirement for long-term research interest in the issue. The cultural landscapes of Cinque Terre (Italy) and the Region of Waterloo (Canada) were chosen as study case studies based on these characteristics. The current study is also one of the first to evaluate the effects of climate change on a cultural landscape under the jurisdiction of UNESCO (the Cinque Terre) with a regionally administered landscape (Region of Waterloo). According to the findings, even though there are now frameworks for evaluating climate change risks, future climate resilience planning in cultural landscapes should incorporate local populations into planning practice more effectively. In addition, many social, institutional, and environmental concerns must be adequately addressed in order to develop measures to mitigate climate change risks and increase resilience. Furthermore, from preparation to recovery, the local community must be included in all phases of resilience strategies. Accurate identification and communication, ability and skills, trust, and involvement in decision-making are required to ensure that cultural landscape participation programs are comprehensive, sustainable, and effective.