Robust municipal decision making? A pilot study of applying robust decision making in three Swedish municipalities

Abstract

The growing understanding of the increased frequency and severity of extreme weather events due to climate change demands action. Locally, measures to adapt must be taken without knowing exactly what will happen, where it will happen or what the consequences will be. To meet this need, a number of decision support tools have been developed and this article investigates how municipalities can implement Robust Decision support in their urban planning. Interviews with respondents from the municipalities were conducted. After this a series of workshops were held, where an RDM method was used on local situations and follow-up interviews assessed the success and potential of the tool. Results suggest that the process addresses uncertainty, encourages bottom-up approaches and provides a tool for creating adaptive pathways in a clear and concise manner. Despite these promising findings, the success of implementation on a broader scale is seen as limited due to organizational factors.