Theoretical frameworks in climate change adaptation planning: a comparative study in coastal cities of developing countries1

Climate change adaptation has shifted from a single-dimension to an integrative approach that aligns with vulnerability and resilience concepts. Adaptation planning, correspondingly, is guided by three frameworks categorized as the hazard-based, the vulnerability-based, and the urban resilience framework. Exploring in which ways these frameworks affect the proposed adaptation initiatives is crucial for planners to justify the well-fit approach for adaptation planning. This study seeks to examine the influence of these theoretical frameworks on the formulation of adaptation initiatives with a sample of 45 coastal cities in developing countries. The vulnerability framework is found to tackle the issues of climate change sufficiently while the hazard-based approach shares resources for both climate change and other matters, and the urban resilience framework puts more effort into other issues rather than climate change. From these findings, the study offers implications for adaptation planning in applying each of these three frameworks.