Opportunities for Urban Resilience to Climate Change: Understanding Local Climate Perceptions, Motivations, and Barriers to Green Infrastructure Use

Authors

Emmilene Berski, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow

First Advisor

Patrick Bitterman

Date of this Version

5-2024

Citation

A thesis presented to the faculty of the Graduate College at the University of Nebraska in partial fulfillment of requirements for the degree of Master of Arts

Major: Geography

Under the supervision of Professor Patrick Bitterman

Lincoln, Nebraska. May 2024

Comments

Copyright 2024, Emmilene Berski. Used by permission

Abstract

Global climate change poses a substantial threat to cities in the United States, particularly through increases in flooding and extreme heat. Cities must adapt to these threats to preserve their residents’ livelihoods and prevent economic loss. One adaptation strategy is the implementation of green infrastructure (GI). The opportunity for GI to foster urban resilience to climate change necessitates a deeper understanding of the extent to which cities utilize GI as a strategy for local climate change adaptation as well as perceptions and motivations surrounding the use of GI at a local level. I sought to address this need through a survey of municipal planners in mid-sized cities across the Midwestern United States. The survey quantified planners’ motivations in developing GI regulations, concerns about climate change threats, perceptions of public concern about climate change, barriers to GI implementation, and the overall quantity and types of GI installations in each city. The resulting analyses identify a disconnect between concerns about climate change and action taken by planners to address them through GI. I find planners are more likely to identify decreasing flooding as a motivation for developing GI regulations when their concern about climate change induced flooding is high. However, this relationship does not extend to other climate change concerns and associated motivations for developing GI regulations indicating a need to increase awareness of the multifunctionality of GI. I also identify a negative correlation between the quantity and severity of barriers on municipally owned property and the diversity of GI types present. These findings offer opportunities and strategies for mid-sized Midwestern cities to build resilience to climate change via green infrastructure. These strategies will support the capacity of cities to prevail under extreme weather events that will worsen with climate change while minimizing impacts to people and infrastructure.

Advisor: Patrick Bitterman