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Eco-industrial network planning in the face of climate change : an exploratory study using landscape planning approaches

University of British Columbia

This study explores the opportunities and challenges in combining three areas of planning: Eco-Industrial Networking, Climate Change Adaptation and Climate Change Mitigation. The Tilbury Industrial Park in the Corporation of Delta on the Fraser River was used as a case study to examine opportunities and challenges in integrating eco-industrial network planning into climate change planning, with a focus on adapting to local climate change vulnerabilities. A multi-phase approach was used including document analysis, precedent case studies, indicator development, mapping, industry leader interviews and guided feedback from expert reviewers in the planning sector. The goal was to understand existing knowledge and perceptions in these three areas of planning, and to use visual tools to engage further exploration of ideas that may support more than one planning objective simultaneously. Study findings suggest that industry leaders’ understanding and perceptions of the three areas are inconsistent. Interview participants had the greatest understanding of climate change mitigation goals, though not always positive perceptions of the mitigation policy tools being used. There was some understanding of eco-industrial networks (EIN), with generally positive attitudes towards the concepts in meeting industry planning and sustainability ambitions. Climate change adaptation was least well understood initially but enhanced by visual tools presented to participants, which focused mainly on localized and interactive maps. None of the three areas of planning (adaptation, mitigation, and EIN) appeared to be strong drivers of change, with the exception of mitigation more recently driven especially by corporate policy. Visual tools led to better understanding of EIN and climate change planning and new ideas. This suggests that these methods could be replicated and enhanced within more formal planning processes for further co-development of knowledge and opportunities for integrating EIN and climate change planning, in Delta and beyond. Additionally this could promote positive perceptions of new climate change adaptation plans in the future. Using the methods explored here could lead to co-benefits being better understood by industry stakeholder and may support more integrated planning, building on positive inertia from existing collaborations at Tilbury. Recommendations for government and industry to further these aims are provided.

Text

2015-08-18

Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5 Canada

http://hdl.handle.net/2429/54499

Forestry

University of British Columbia

UBCV

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.5/ca/