Governance

Governance is broader than the organizations and mechanisms for decision-making that make up a government. It also accounts for the role that civil society plays in making decisions and setting priorities and the process by which citizens interact with government.

Overcoming these challenges requires the participation, perspectives, skills and resources of all parts of society. Communities that strengthen their governance capacity by building on and integrating resources from all members, including non-profit organizations, emergency responders, business owners, residents, decision-makers and more, will have greater resilience to climate change, reducing the potential for significant societal, public health and safety, economic and environmental consequences.

Because the mechanisms for decision-making and participation are critical in determining the Bay Area’s ability to adapt to climate change, ART assessed the current governance capacities of institutions, organizations, and communities in the project area. This understanding of the governance then led to the development of specific adaptation responses to address the challenges of ownership, management responsibilities, jurisdiction, mandates, mechanisms of participation, and organizational structure that influence vulnerability and resilience.

Sustainability Frames in ART

Governance is one of four sustainability frames that are integrated into each step of the ART Approach to adaptation planning to ensure that a wide range of critical issues is identified, and that the outcomes of the process will maintain or increase sustainability of shoreline communities.

society & equityEffects on communities and services on which they rely, with a focus on dispro- portionate impacts due to existing inequalities

economyEconomic values that may be affected such as costs of infrastructure damages or lost revenues during periods of recovery

environmentEnvironmental values that may be affected, such as species biodiversity, ecosystem functions & services

governanceFactors such as organizational structure, jurisdiction & mechanisms of participation that affect vulnerability to impacts

 

Governance in the ART Program

Asset- and sector-specific governance challenges are identified in each of the ART projects. The projects also pinpoint governance challenges that cut across the sectors, agencies, and organizations. To address both the sector-specific and cross-cutting governance vulnerabilities, ART develops actions along with options for implementation that are included in each project’s adaptation responses.

Governance emerged in the first ART Project in Alameda County as a key issue that the Bay Area needs to consider and address. The ART Program has since evaluated the role of governance in planning for climate change. This analysis examined the institutional capacity of organizations and agencies in the Bay Area that will have a role in increasing resilience in the region.

The findings of this analysis along with the assessment outcomes demonstrate that governance needs to be considered first if the Bay Area is to increase its resilience. By carefully identifying governance challenges and the actions needed to address them, the region can increase resilience to all current and future hazards and disruptions, and strengthen other aspects of sustainability including the economy, equity and the environment.