POLICIES, DECISIONS, AND RAINFALL INDUCED FLOODING IN CITIES: “Communication is king. As urban decision making brings in more voices, and climate change becomes less of an abstract future but a present-day reality, it is imperative for policy to understand what the different perspectives are and how to weigh their importance,” stated Charles Axelsson, PhD, Ca’ Foscari University of Venice in the Science and Management of Climate Change (March 2022)
“If flooding will occur in a neighborhood, what will happen if what homeowners want differs from what those in city hall believe is best? What if local environmental campaigners have a different vision to protect a nearby park or engineers see it as an opportunity to test a new adaptation methodology? Is there a way to unify these perspectives and streamline solutions? If not, who decides whose values are more important? Climate change will put increasing pressure on urban adaptation decision-making making these questions a part of daily life,” stated Charles Axelsson.