Planning and Strategic Tools for Adapting Urban Areas to Climate Change in Poland

Climate change issues figure prominently in the policies pursued by the European Union countries. The EU seeks to promote broad global action through climate conferences, climate conventions, international fora, policies and initiatives at international and EU level. Starting with the “United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change” (UNFCCC or FCCC) signed in 1992 in Rio de Janeiro, through the reviews of its implementation by the Conferences of the Parties (COPs), including 1997 “Kyoto Protocol” (COP 3) [20], the “Cancun Adaptation Framework” (CAF) being developed between 2007 and 2010 as part of COP 16 [5], to the European Union’s (EU) socio-economic growth strategy – “Europe 2020 Strategy” [21]. Over the years, the European Commissions have developed strategies, programmes and action plans on smart and sustainable development and cli-mate in the broadest sense. An important document was the EU “White Paper. Adapting to climate change: towards a European framework for action”, COM 2009, which set out a framework for action on adaptation and laid foundations for preparation of the comprehensive EU strategy to facilitate the adaptation of the member states economies and societies to current and expected climate change in the most efficient and cost-effective way. The White Paper became the basis for the development of strategic adaptation plans in individual EU countries [6].

Given the dynamics of the changes taking place, the European Union, through its climate policy, has begun the process of transforming cities and building a cli-mate-resilient society. As a result, it is urban policy that will be crucial for the implementation of adaptation policy in the EU Member States. Current climate action is based on the so-called “European Green Deal”– a package of measures including, inter alia, significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, investment in cutting-edge research and innovation, and protection of Europe’s environment, which aim to make Europe climate-neutral by 2050 [22]. In 2013. “EU Adaptation Strategy Package” was adopted by the European Commission with the aim of making Europe more resilient to climate change [7]. “The EU Adaptation Strategy” focuses on promoting the member states action to develop comprehensive adaptation strategies, promoting adaptation action in key vulnerable sectors, closing knowledge gaps on adaptation and further developing the “European Climate Change Adaptation Platform” [23]. The strategy aims to enhance the preparedness and capacity of all levels of governance to respond to the impacts of climate change. Under the EU governance system, all Member States have been required to adopt integrated “National energy and climate plans for 2021–2030”, as well as to develop “Long-term national strategies” and ensure coherence between these strategies and national energy and climate plans.

Important findings for European countries include the “European Union’s climate and energy policy framework developed until 2030” and “policy assumptions and targets for 2021–2030”. They enable the countries of the Community to make the transition to a low-carbon economy and to fulfil the obligations arising from the commitments adopted in 2015: “Paris Agreement – defining a multilateral framework for climate protection be-yond 2020” [24] and the “2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development” [25]. This has presented many countries with significant planning, policy and implementation challenges in adapting cities and urbanised areas to climate change and highlighting the role of subnational governments, civil society, and the private sector in addressing climate change. Urban climate policy challenges are also included in other documents adopted in 2020, such as the “New Leipzig Charter” [26] and the “EU Territorial Agenda 2030” [27], as well as in initiatives such as the “European Bauhaus” (2020) [28], supporting the implementation of the “European Green Deal”. They set directions for the development of European cities, emphasise the need for their transformation and identify principles for good urban planning and management and for ensuring good living conditions for all European citizens. The objectives set out in these documents address social, technical, political and economic issues and require an integrated approach to planning for climate change mitigation and sustainable development.

Poland is a geographically and spatially diverse country. The urban network is made up mainly of small and medium-sized towns and cities, as well as 39 centres with populations in excess of 100 000. These towns and cities differ in terms of their natural conditions, type of development or management method, which influence the way they respond to climate change-related phenomena. Climate risks affect urban areas directly, but also rural areas and open spaces. The hazards that occur most frequently in Polish urban areas include heat, frost, intense rainfall and storms, urban floods, river floods, sea floods, land-slides, droughts, and windstorms. In recent years, it is possible to observe, inter alia, a high variability of air temperatures (systematically increasing temperature – about 0.7°C per 100 years, with an observed upward trend maintained since the late 1970s), as well as the changing nature of precipitation (greater violence in the warm season and short-lived and intense precipitation that causes flash urban and river floods) [29]. Many of these hazards are becoming important constraints to the development of urban areas.

The Metropolis GZM (Upper Silesian and Zagłębie Metropolitan Area), located in the southern part of Poland in the Silesian Voivodeship, comprises 41 cities and communes with a total area of 2500 sq km, inhabited by 2.3 million people [33].

Metropolis GZM area focuses on tasks resulting from the provisions of the “Act on the Metropolitan Association” [34], based on development of priorities and trends resulting from national and regional strategic documents. This act equipped the Metropolis GZM area, as the only metropolitan area in Poland, with spatial planning tools. The Metropolis GZM was created when most strategic documents at all levels of the hierarchy had already been defined and were in the process of implementation with a perspective of implementation by 2020, 2022, 2025, 2027 or 2030. Therefore, the “Strategic Action Program of Metropolis GZM until 2022” developed in 2018 [35] – an important document common for the entire metropolitan area, defining development activities in the short term – considered the strategic provisions of already existing documents: “Strategy for Responsible Development”, “Program for Silesia, National Urban Policy 2023”, “Strategy for Development of Southern Poland in the Area of Małopolskie and Śląskie Voivodeships until 2020”, “Development Strategy of the Silesian Voivodeship Śląskie 2020+”, “Strategy for Integrated Territorial Investments of the Association entitled”, “The Association of Municipalities and Districts of the Central Subregion of the Silesian Voivodeship”, “The Concept of the National Spatial Management 2030”, “The Spatial Management Plan of the Silesian Voivodeship 2020+”, strategies of the counties located in the metropolitan area and the metropolitan member communes, selected sectoral strategies [35]. Some of the actions proposed therein concerned the prevention of and adaptation to climate change. The specificity of these activities was related to the postindustrial heritage of the region and the associated environmental burden resulting from mining and quarrying activities in the Metropolitan area, as well as the large stock of post-industrial sites and sites already reclaimed but insufficiently developed [36]. The specificity of the region has forced the need for a comprehensive approach to issues related to water and green areas management, ensuring adequate air quality, reclamation and transformation of degraded land, space, energy, and waste management. One of the important priorities set for 2018–2022 became shaping spatial order and moving towards a sustainable, “green” Metropolis. This priority resulted directly from the tasks listed in Article 12. paragraph 1. of the “Act of 9 March 2017 on the metropolitan association in the Silesian Voivodeship” [34]. Among the programme assumptions and planned strategic activities related to adaptation of the Metropolis area to climate change, an important role was given to the proper orientation of spatial policy of the member municipalities. The spatial, socio-economic cohesion in the metropolitan area was to be ensured by the “Framework Study of Conditions and Directions for Spatial Development of the Metropolitan Union” – an instrument for shaping and conducting spatial policy at the metropolitan level. The scope and procedure for the preparation of the Study was defined by the “Act on spatial planning and development” [37]. The document, being a multi-element spatial database on various information concerning the area of the GZM, was to be a directional document for the spatial policy of the municipalities belonging to the metropolitan association. Its purpose was to support the management process of the metropolitan area, and its findings were transposed to the studies of conditions and directions for spatial development of each of the member municipalities. In the 2021 updated “Programme of strategic activities of the Metropolis GZM until 2022” [38], the task relating to the Framework Study was merged with the task relating to the development of the “Development Strategy for the Metropolis GZM for the years 2021–27 with an outlook until 2035” – a strategic and planning tool supporting the management process of the metropolitan area for sustainable social and economic development and strengthening of the spatial and functional cohesion of individual communes. It is intended that the Strategy document will provide a framework for detailed development activities of the metropolitan area, set out priorities and directions for the development of the metropolitan association in the socio-economic and spatial-functional areas and indicate activities to be implemented in the coming years. The document is to integrate strategic and spatial planning. On the one hand it should be a tool for integrating, initiating, and coordinating initiatives taken by individual communes and the Metropolitan Office, and on the other hand it should be a document for communication with the environment, including the self-government of the Silesian Voivodeship, government administration and the European Commission, as well as a basis for applying for external financial resources [38]. The basis for Metropolis GZM experiences in adaptation activities are the strategic and planning documents developed at the local level. The most important strategic and implementation documents relating directly to the issue of climate change adaptation are the “Urban Adaptation Plans” developed at the local scale, in 2017–2019, for 12 cities of the GZM, include Bytom, Chorzów, Dąbrowa Górnicza, Gliwice, Katowice, Ruda Śląska, Sosnowiec, Tychy, Zabrze, Mysłowice, Siemianowice Śląskie, Czeladź [15]. Their basic strategic objective is to raise/increase the adaptation potential of cities to the effects of climate change by introducing modern infrastructure and designing public space in such a way that would foster the development of the economy and the living comfort of inhabitants. Among the organisational measures concerning spatial planning, some of the UAPs (concerning the cities of Bytom, Chorzów, Katowice, Ruda Śląska, Sosnowiec, Mysłowice, Siemianowice Śląskie and Czeladź) define the need to develop planning/urban planning guidelines in the shaping of public space. These guidelines are to specify the criteria for shaping urban public spaces and define parametric relations between the basic indicators of urbanised land development, i.e. designation of biologically active surfaces, the degree of surface sealing in public spaces, restriction (or abandonment) of the sale of green areas by the municipality; admissibility of certain material solutions, consideration of sunlight conditions, drainage solutions and water retention possibilities; space accessibility; increase in the safety of users (urban monitoring, information system in urban spaces). Ultimately, the planning/zoning guidelines in shaping public spaces, in addition to being included in “urban revitalisation programmes”, are to be the basis for defining provisions to be included in urban planning documents, i.e. “studies of conditions and directions of spatial development”, “local spatial development plans”, or “decisions on the location of public purposes”. The introduction of such provisions in planning documents may force the selection of urban planning and architectural solutions closely related to the adaptation of urbanised areas to climate change, strengthening the resilience of cities to the possible negative effects of climate change, as well as ensuring safety and higher living comfort for their inhabitants. The implementation of individual guidelines requires active consultation with key stake-holders and entities participating in their implementation or involved in individual activities, as well as the implementation of ongoing monitoring and control of the application of guidelines enshrined in local plans [15]. An example of a document that clarified the scope of the guidelines is the “Urban Adaptation Plan for Czeladź” [39]. The document identifies four sub-activities for the development of planning/urban planning guidelines: coverage of the whole city by “local spatial development plans” with indications and prohibitions and orders for adaptation to climate change; development of a master plan for a coherent greenery system; development of guidelines for adaptation to climate change for the city’s transport system; and control of compatibility and sustainability of investments with local spatial development plans. For each of them, a range of activities has been defined, including: development of “local spatial development plans” for uniform urban areas; avoiding development of plans for small areas; delimitation of compact development and business activity areas within the city where the necessary technical infrastructure networks exist; introduction of isolating green belts; analysis of the existing condition of green areas, urban space requirements, and residents’ expectations; provision in the “local spatial development plans” regarding: preservation of environmentally valuable areas and facilities and ecological corridors, delimitation of developed green areas for all housing estates, preservation of the city’s ventilation corridors, and ensuring the minimum biologically active area for all zoning purposes. It was also indicated that there was a need to run public campaigns on spatial development and the need for all investors to observe the provisions of “local spatial development plans”, to monitor investments during construction, and to carry out regular inspections of completed investments to ensure that the provisions are observed [39].

The “Urban Adaptation Plans” will also form the basis of the framework policy in the scope of shaping the natural system and protection of natural values through preparation of “Greenery Development Strategy for the cities” (Gliwice, Tychy) or the concept of system shaping of the blue-green infrastructure in the cities (Katowice, Mysłowice, Siemianowice Śląskie, Czeladź). It is assumed that the “Green Areas Development Strategy” document should contain provisions on the implementation of investments in the development of new and revalorisation of existing green areas, as well as the maintenance, care, and management of green areas. It should be a tool for planning, preparing, and implementing specific investment projects, introducing changes to “Long-Term Investment Plans” and “Long-Term Financial Forecasts of the Cities”, as well as facilitating the planning of future City Budgets in the scope of expenditures on publicly available greenery in the cities. In addition, the findings contained in the strategy document are to be a guideline for newly drawn up local plans and will also apply when updating the existing planning documents. Also, the systemic concept of shaping the blue-green infrastructure in cities will require the introduction of specific provisions to local documents, programmes and concepts (i.e. master plans, revitalisation programmes, urban and architectural concepts, etc.). Its provisions would concern, among others, the requirements of preserving ecological corridors, natural watercourses, and water reservoirs, increasing the retention capacity of the city, biodiversity, recreational opportunities for residents, improving their health and using the potential of urban ecosystem services [15].

Another measure in the scope of spatial policy, urban development policy and management in the cities, provided for in the UAP, are activities related to including the issue of climate change in the cities’ strategic and planning documents in order to adapt them to the forecast climate conditions (the cities of Chorzów, Gliwice, Katowice, Ruda Śląska, Sosnowiec, Zabrze, Mysłowice, Siemianowice Śląskie have taken this measure into account). The plans, programmes and strategies adopted in the cities, such as: studies of conditions and directions of spatial development, local spatial development plans, city development strategies, revitalisation programmes, water and sewage management, including rainwater management, programmes of small retention, air protection, environmental protection, low emission management plans, plans for supplying heat, electric energy and gas fuels or plans for crisis management are to be reviewed, updated or prepared [15].

The preparation of the “Urban Adaptation Plans” for 12 cities of the Metropolis GZM is the beginning of planning and strategic activities in respect of climate change. It will be important for Metropolis GZM as a region to create and implement a coherent strategy of adaptation to climate change that will be compatible both with the UAPs of the individual cities of the metropolis and with the regional adaptation strategy developed for the whole Silesian Voivodeship. In the Marshal’s Office of the Silesia Voivodeship in Katowice, in the Department of Regional Projects, the Climate Office has been established. Its task is to initiate and conduct climate issues on the regional level, build cooperation on different levels of administration in the field of prevention and adaptation to climate changes as well as to develop and implement activities and projects in the field of climate change prevention and mitigation. One of the tasks is to develop a “Regional Climate Change Adaptation Plan for the Silesia Voivodeship”. This plan is intended to become an operational document supporting the implementation of the “Development Strategy of the Silesia Voivodeship “Silesia 2030” – Green Silesia”. The implementation of the measure is foreseen within Phase I of the COALA project, funded by the LIFE Programme, with implementation from January 2022 to June 2024 [40].

In the Metropolis GZM area, effectiveness of the regional approach to climate issues will depend on the degree of individual member communes involvement which is particularly difficult in the case of a polycentric layout of the metropolis, and the strengthening of the role of spatial planning on the metropolitan scale. It will also be important to introduce appropriate legal regulations binding urban development planning in the context of climate change (in relation to the provisions of the “Strategic Adaptation Plan for Sectors and Areas Sensitive to Climate Change by 2020”, with an annual perspective), to implement the already prepared “Urban Adaptation Plans” for the cities of the Metropolis GZM and to integrate them with the documents prepared for the remaining cities and for the entire voivodeship.