Measuring urban adaptation to climate change: Experiences in Kenya and Nicaragua

The chapter describes the implementation of a participatory methodology -- urban participatory climate change adaptation appraisal (PCCAA) – which included quantification of outcomes amongst the urban poor in Kenya and Nicaragua experiencing climate change. The methodology tested in these two case studies enabled local authorities to recognize vulnerabilities to ongoing climate challenges so they could better support the adaptive efforts already employed by citizens. Of the various initiatives currently underway to help urban authorities develop plans and policies to cope with the impacts of climate change, the innovative element of this research process was its combination of three elements: (i) A participatory methodology, generating both quantitative and qualitative data, to understand the lived experience of vulnerability associated with increasing climate variability from the perspective of residents of poor urban areas; (ii) linked analysis of the institutional and policy framework for response, including the respective response roles of national governments, urban authorities, communities and households; and (iii) an action component that brought these two elements together in facilitated discussions with urban authorities to support them in thinking through the implications of increasing climate variability for planning and policy.