Evaluating Public Participation in Canadian Municipal Climate Change Adaptation Plans

Abstract

This research employs a qualitative content analysis to evaluate public participation in municipal climate adaptation plans in Canada. I conducted quantitative scoring and qualitative coding based on the assessment framework adapted from Uittenbroek et al. (2019). The framework highlights three dimensions of public participation: (a) Who participates, (b) When, and (c) How. This study highlights four key findings. First, the majority of plans do not engage with a wide range of community stakeholders, suggesting that the complete representation of community interests is not being included. Second, participation is occurring throughout the planning process in half of the plans, demonstrating a need to increase the number of opportunities for participation. Third, plans were inconsistent in clearly articulating whether participation influenced decision-making in plan development. Finally, plans are inconsistent in their application of the quantity and variety of participation mechanisms. These findings offer insight into public participation in Canadian municipal adaptation planning.