Why transnational cooperation

The impacts of climate change do not stop at national borders or city limits. On EU level as well as national level some urban networks exist to promote mitigation strategies by focussing on greenhouse gas emission reduction in general or the role of traffic in particular.

Mitigation is important, but not sufficient. It will be impossible to reduce the effects quick enough to avoid dangerous or negative effects on people's life, economy and ecology. It is obvious that beside mitigation especially adaptation is necessary, as agreed in science, but difficult to realise in practice. This calls for a coordinated action and for transnational cooperation. Responsible organisations have to bring together all experiences and jointly promote and implement measures. Awareness and acceptance has to be raised as a joint action.     

However, with regard to adaptation mostly singular sector actions are being developed since adaptation to climate change is just starting to get into the focus.

Given the time pressure to act and the distinct importance of proactive respond the efforts of all cities affected must be merged in a coordinated way in order to be able to act adequately. Viable adaptation measures must be developed to allow for comprehensive and fast actions.

Accordingly the EU Commission's Green Paper on Adapting to Climate Change in Europe calls for regions to exchange good practice for adaptation. Each partner of the Future Cities-project has special expertise in a field of necessary action; This expertise will be combined to achieve surplus effects, e.g. the expertise of water boards about the urban water system and the potential of measures taken within this infrastructure to be combined with the expertise of the municipalities with regard to the effects of green structures. The involvement of regional planning authorities secures the expertise in planning guidelines as well as development agencies provide for know-how in planning with investors.