More than half of the planet’s population now lives in cities, up 30% from 50 years ago. Over the next 25 years, rural populations are expected to decline, meaning that all population growth will occur in urban areas (United Nations Population Fund, 2007). By 2050, we can expect to see 75-80% of people living in cities. This growth presents unprecedented challenges for cities, but it also ideally positions cities to take the lead internationally on climate adaptation.

Whilst our cities will be forced to rapidly expand, so too must our governance systems and structures. The meaningful participation citizens in decision making for city planning and the transparent exchange and sharing of information prior to policy making is key to creating adaptive capacity and formulating effective urban policies.

This presentation will broadly explore the opportunities for citizen participation in urban climate adaptation. It will demonstrate that transparency in governance is critical for building trust and enabling true citizen participation. It will draw on examples from the City of Melbourne’s climate adaptation and citizen participation programs to highlight the benefits of this approach and will aim to illustrate the transferability of these concepts on a large scale to accelerate climate adaptation action.