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Questions of responsibility for future‐making often arise in localities where the withdrawal of capital and state seem to leave tangible voids and a sense of loss. Over the past decade, academic discourse has furthered discussions on the role of civic engagement, local initiatives and their agency under conditions of urban shrinkage. However, scholars (including ourselves) are confronted with their own normative assumptions and aspirations when conceptualizing local initiatives in shrinking cities. Through reviewing the literature on this phenomenon, we identified three main epistemological pitfalls that emerge from the legacies of planning discipline, current neoliberal developments and scholars' own biases. By drawing from our fieldwork experiences, we conclude that local initiatives should be viewed in the plurality of their essences as extremely variegated in form and motivation. We therefore assert the need to disentangle research on local initiatives in shrinking cities from normative aspirations to avoid neoliberal responsibilization, and instead pay attention to the nuances of their aims and practices, achievements and constraints. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Achieving sustainability in the Anthropocene requires radical changes to how human societies operate. The Seeds of Good Anthropocenes (SOGA) project has identified a diverse set of existing initiatives, called "seeds," that have the potential to catalyze transformations toward more sustainable pathways. However, the empirical investigation of factors and conditions that enable successful sustainability transformations across multiple cases has been scarce. Building on a review of existing theoretical and empirical research, we developed a theoretical framework for assessing three features identified as important to transformative potential of innovative socialecological initiatives: (1) learning practices, (2) empowerment, and (3) networking. We applied this framework to a set of African-led and Africa-related initiatives that we selected from the SOGA database that were divided into initiatives with more or less transformative potential. We coded the presence or absence of features relating to the theoretical framework using secondary data, and then compared the initiatives using qualitative comparative analysis (QCA). This analysis revealed that of the three features tested, Networking emerged as the most important feature for transformative potential when compared amongst cases. By developing and testing a framework for the comparison of cases we provide a basis for future comparative work to further identify and test properties of cases that enable transformation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article focuses on local initiatives and the agency of residents in the shrinking town of Puolanka in northern Finland. Structural opportunities and constraints shape individual and collective agency in the community, as they steer how people create and develop initiatives. We discuss how local initiatives impact the sense of place among those who would like to stay in their rural hometown. A group of local activists facetiously market Puolanka as the 'most pessimistic town' in the world, turning shrinkange, decay, and pessimism into the town's brand. Beyond the pessimism brand several other initiatives, which are either created by engaged local residents or are municipality-led, are revitalizing and enhancing the liveability of Puolanka. By applying ethnographic research methods, we aim to show how initiatives improve the well-being and contribute to the place perception of residents. Such initiatives create jobs, albeit usually in small numbers, improve the physical space, stabilize the sense of community and can bring hope to a place characterized by increasing abandonment, decay, and the loss of local services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development was approved in September 2015 and has the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a central component. The role of healthy cities in achieving the SDGs, mainly SDG 11, has been reinforced by the World Health Organization (WHO). Initiatives such as the Healthy Municipalities, Cities, and Communities (HMC) in Brazil, sponsored by WHO, could be a complementary framework to support the implementation of SDG 11 at local levels. This study draws on a qualitative methodology to examine how HMC initiatives can support the integration of health promotion into the implementation of Goal 11 at local levels in Brazil. While social participation and integration of SDGs across Master Plans seem to be enablers factors, the lack of a national strategy and the absence of an effective evaluation of the results achieved by HMC seem to have hindered the potential of HMC in Brazil and could be critical factors for the integration of health into SDG 11 at local levels. Moreover, drawing on HMC potential contributions, this research proposes a framework to integrate health promotion across SDG 11 at local levels. Findings also suggest that there are several achievements and lessons learned from the implementation of HMC that could contribute to integrating health into SDG 11 at local levels in Brazil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The literature on shrinking cities often portrays local initiatives in two contrasting ways: either as marginal, powerless, and somewhat backwards-oriented actors, or as human capital, a resource for development, and even as the hope for a more democratic development. However, there is a risk that scholarship unintentionally contributes to local initiatives being included in neoliberal development agendas. During our field research in two small, shrinking, and peripheralized towns in Finland and Germany, we discovered that both perspectives are misleading. They distract from the actual conditions of the initiatives' work, the causes of their financial or demographic precarity, and the self-responsibilization that is common among such initiatives. Scarcity motivates a DI(F)Y approach, organizing services and amenities on limited resources to enhance the quality of life in the area. This limited availability may seem like a natural result of population decline. By comparing the German and Finnish cases, we can see how state policies towards peripheral areas affect the work of local initiatives. This demonstrates that precarity in shrinking places is a result of policies rather than demographic development trajectory. • Local initiatives in shrinking towns are neither powerless, backward-looking actors nor human capital for local development. • Peripheralization - shortage of resources, dependence and population loss - affects the modus operandi of local initiatives. • (Self-)responsibilization is a main feature of a Do-It_(For)Yourself attitude of initiatives stepping in for public services. • The comparison between Finland and Germany shows the significance of state policy toward peripheralized locations. • Neoliberal policies promoting centralisation, market solutions and (self-)responsibilization do naturalize peripheralization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents an analysis of the situation of social services in rural areas, as well as the physical infrastructure - in which they take place. Given the degree of poverty and vulnerability of the population in rural areas, integrated interventions through LEADER come in response to local needs. LAGs participate in developing and strengthening the role of local governance by involving public authorities, the private sector and civil society in community-based decision-making. Some of these decisions are aimed at solving social problems at the local level. Through LEADER, the LAG is a facilitator for the implementation of intervention and social assistance programs, as well as other community services. The situation of the distribution of LEADER interventions by regions is presented, detailing the number and value of projects financed by EAFRD and those financed by ESF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the idea of co-production, understood as informed and intentional participation of citizens in the organisation and provision of public services in the context of the global ageing process, a phenomenon which necessitates actions aimed to secure the needs of older people. The basis for the empirical investigation was a study carried out under the aegis of a WHO agency, the Centre for Health Development in Kobe, Japan. It offers an analysis of the case studies of initiatives addressed to elderly people in the local communities of 10 selected developing countries (Chile, China, Iran, Libya, Russia, Serbia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Ukraine, Vietnam). The key criterion in the selection of the analysed projects was direct involvement of institutional and non-institutional representatives of local communities in their implementation. As a participant (researcher) of this international survey, the author analyses the observable manifestations of silver co-production characterising the individual initiatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Local initiatives in the energy climate field have gained importance, visibility and support in many countries. Political agendas have been flagging localism as a key to success for energy transitions. While encouraging the involvement of multiple constituencies in energy transition processes on various scales, policy frameworks have been evolved to increasingly mirror a neoliberal agenda, relying on business models and the construction of new markets. The composition of and the direction taken by energy transition processes under such a new configuration, as well as their implications as regards to social justice and sustainability on various scales, still have to be analysed. The special issue explores these questions, as well as the multiple entanglements of local climate energy initiatives, based on a few longitudinal case studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In France and Germany, significant networks of local initiatives have developed around energy issues. This article brings practitioners' viewpoints into discussion. It presents the way in which two of these networks – the CLER-network for the energy transition (France) and the 100% – Regions network (Germany) – each identifies itself, describes its action and build-up process in relation to government action, and conceives of justice issues in the field of climate energy policy. The analysis shows that these two networks share a lot, including political ends (localisation of energy production, empowerment of rural territories), but practice quite differently as intermediaries for local initiatives. This suggests overcoming the transition management vs grassroots divide present in the literature and paying more attention to hybrids. It also brings emphasis on a type of intermediary's work, which has not been covered by the academic literature, namely that of tinkering with multiple supports and embedding action in local-national-supranational networking in order to maintain continuity. In discussing justice dimensions, we emphasize that motives or ends of action are only reflectively related to ideas of justice: justice issues seem bound up with a politics of assembling, either as a marker of federative action (all fighting for justice) or as a potentially divisive issue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Universities are central players and important economic actors in many regions, and many of them are, in general, nationally and internationally active in respect of matters related to sustainable development. But there is a paucity of research which examines their contributions towards sustainability efforts at the local level, i.e. in the places they are situated. This paper addresses this need, by reporting on a qualitative study deploying a Matrix, which allows an analysis and reporting of regional sustainable development initiatives of a set of 22 universities in industrialised and developing countries. Recommendations to enhance their role are provided, including the importance of pursuing partnerships and joint initiatives, understanding the need of local communities, and making their know-how more widely available. The scientific value of this research is related to the understanding of how the interaction between universities and local communities happens and by shedding light to this topic, it supports universities to improve their own actions. Its implications are two-fold: it demonstrates the potential of universities as local players and outlines the range of activities they may engage with, and which may allow them to act as pillars to local sustainability initiatives. • Universities are central players and important economic actors in many regions. • Their contributions towards sustainability efforts at the local level may be substantial. • An analysis and reporting of regional sustainable development initiatives shows some deficiencies. • Understanding the potential role that universities can play on sustainability could help address global challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The theory of endogenous development plays a fundamental role in the progress of rural communities since it is subscribed as an option to energize marginalized populations through local initiatives that involve a change in the productive activities that, on many occasions, manage to integrate the tertiary or service sector. Due to the expectations that tourism activity directly generates, especially in rural communities with distinctive identity features, such activity means the exploitation of their cultural and natural heritage as a means to diversify their economy, create new jobs, and, therefore, a significant development opportunity. This work aims to elaborate a review of the specialized literature based on the Web of Science database regarding the local development endogenous concept and to identify how this concept integrates the tourist activity in its approach. Twenty-six articles were identified that include this concept, and only three of them add tourism directly. The main conclusion is that researchers admit the existence of a partnership between local endogenous development and tourism, mainly community-based tourism, by integrating this activity as a strategy for innovation and productive diversification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose Understanding bottom-up approaches including local coping mechanisms, recognizing them and strengthening community capacities is important in the process of disaster risk reduction. The purpose of this paper is to address the questions: to what extent existing disaster policies in Nepal support and enable community-based disaster resilience? and what challenges and prospects do the communities have in responding to disaster risk for making communities resilient?Design/methodology/approach This paper is based on policy and academic literature reviews complimented by field research in two communities, one in Shankhu, Kathmandu district and another in Satthighare, Kavrepalanchowk district in Nepal. The author conducted in-depth interviews and mapped out key disaster-related policies of Nepal to investigate the role of communities in disaster risk management and post-disaster activities and their recognition in disaster-related policies.Findings The author found that existing literature clearly identifies the importance of the community led initiatives in risks reduction and management. It is evolutionary phenomenon, which has already been piloted in history including in the aftermath of Nepal earthquake 2015 yet existing policies of Nepal do not clearly identify it as an important component by providing details of how communities can be better engaged in the immediate aftermath of disaster occurrence.Research limitations/implications The author conducted this research based on data from two earthquake affected areas only. The author believes that this research can still play an important role as representative study.Practical implications The practical implication of this research is that communities need to understand about risks society for disaster preparedness, mitigation and timely response in the aftermath of disasters. As they are the first responders against the disasters, they also need trainings such as disaster drills such as earthquakes, floods and fire and mock practice of various early warning systems can be conducted by local governments to prepare these communities better to reduce disaster risk and casualties.Social implications The mantra of community-based disaster risk management (CBDRM) is community engagement, which means the involvement of local people to understand and prepare against their local hazards and risks associated with disaster and haphazard development. CBDRM approaches motivate people to work together because they feel a sense of belongingness to their communities and recognize the benefits of their involvement in disaster mitigation and preparedness. Clearly, community engagement for disaster risk reduction and management brings great benefits in terms of ownership and direct savings in losses from disasters because the dynamic process allows community to contribute and interchange ideas and activities for inclusive decision making and problem solving.Originality/value This research is based on both primary and secondary data and original in case of its findings and conclusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy retrofitting of existing buildings is a central challenge for local, national, and international climate policies, and in several countries, single-family houses represent a major energy-saving potential. Although many municipalities are implementing local climate policies with initiatives to promote energy retrofitting of buildings, little research has been done regarding the role of single-family houses in local climate policies. Thus, we have little knowledge about specific initiatives to promote energy retrofitting amongst owners of single-family houses, we know little about experience from such initiatives, and we lack knowledge about the extent to which national and EU policies support local initiatives directed at homeowners. This article provides insights into these issues from an explorative study on local climate strategies in Danish front-runner municipalities where single-family housing is the dominating building segment. Based on a study of local governance strategies in 12 municipalities targeting homeowners' engagement in energy retrofitting, the paper finds that these municipalities have developed promising local network-based ways to engage homeowners in energy retrofitting, but finds simultaneously that the national policy mix is only partly supporting these local initiatives. The paper also points out that the local and regional context for the programmes, including the local economic situation, is of great importance, and this context creates both potentials and challenges for the local programmes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The industrialization in Arapiraca/AL and Itabaiana/SE has emerged through local actions, peculiar characteristics of 'agrestino' people. It's possible to say that the industrial genesis in Arapiraca is bonded to rural activities, with the flour mills and street markets - which are causes of the arising of businessmen and traders. Now it holds a great industrial park, it overcomes the regional limits. The Itabaiana industrial origin also relates to rural activities and its fair, as well as the potteries. Currently the predominant branches are the potter and the body of factories to truck. It's noticed that the transformation economy to market, allows analyze the industrial process that is being implemented and conquering space, even agricultural activity still having great importance in the economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the US and NATO invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 was ideologically justified under the banner of democracy and women’s rights, the latter issue has been completely forgotten within the public sphere since then. As the war has officially ended in Afghanistan, new forms of misogyny and sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) have arisen. The ‘post-war’ Afghan context presents an institutional normalization of violence, favouring a culture of rape and impunity. The changing frames of violence against women are widely related to the political situation of the country: while public attention is focused on peace agreements, women’s issues are relegated to banalities and depicted as ‘everyday’ news. Meanwhile, new frames of SGBV appear as body part mutilation within marriage, forced prostitution, and increasing domestic violence, partly due to the growing consumption of opium but also to the perpetuation of powerful warlords in state structures. This article draws on gender studies to analyse the current misogynist culture in ‘post-war’ Afghanistan, framing the new forms of violence induced by successive armed conflicts. It relies on interviews conducted in 2013 in Afghanistan; and on secondary sources, mostly taken from the Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan and Human Rights Watch reports. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Protected areas (PAs) are a conservation mainstay and arguably the most effective conservation strategy for species protection. As a ‘megadiverse’ country, Peru is a priority for conservation actions. Peruvian legislation allows for the creation of state PAs and private/communal PAs. Using publicly available species distribution and protected area data sets we evaluated the coverage of Threatened terrestrial vertebrate species distributions and ecoregions provided by both kinds of PA in Peru. Peru's state PA system covers 217,879 km 2 and private/communal PAs cover 16,588 km 2 . Of the 462 species of Threatened and Data Deficient species we evaluated, 75% had distributions that overlapped with at least one PA but only 53% had ≥10% of their distributions within PAs, with inclusion much reduced at higher coverage targets. Of the species we evaluated, 118 species are only found in national PAs and 29 species only found in private/communal PAs. Of the 17 terrestrial ecoregions found in Peru all are represented in PAs; the national PA system included coverage of 16 and private/communal PAs protect 13. One ecoregion is only protected in private/communal PAs, whereas four are only covered in national PAs. Our results show the important role private/communal PAs can play in the protection of ecological diversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A characterizing feature of the German electricity transition is that it started as a movement arising from the civil society. Initially the movement was directed against nuclear energy and later on turned into a movement favouring decentralized forms of energy production and distribution as well as local control over energy issues. Once these demands found official recognition and regulatory support, a dynamic development ensued in which a host of new actors with new ideas and strategies became involved in the field of electricity generation. Regions, cities and villages experimenting with socio-technical innovations and aiming to implement new concepts developed governance structures under high uncertainty. These governance structures mirror space-specific social, political, technological and economic constellations. Once the old incumbent actors in the field began to falter, both government and electricity providers started to stem the tide of decentralized initiatives, whose dynamic in fact has recently been seriously weakened. In order to help us better understand these developments in a more generic context, the political-cultural theory of strategic action fields as developed by Neil Fligstein and Doug McAdam will be applied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses the relevance of local development policy as an instrument for regional development. Endogenous development strives to obtain self-sustained development in urban and rural areas and argues that institutions that facilitate the introduction of innovations leading to diversification of productive activities and market access are key to the process. The efficiency of local initiatives depends on the agreement between local actors on strategies and goals, as well as local communities’ participation in the management and control of development initiatives. The effectiveness of local initiatives confronts important challenges, such as compatibility of goals, interaction of the forces of development, and strengthening of institutions. Therefore, endogenous development is always a slow process that demands the evolution of institutions and requires specific local initiatives and actions for each territory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Amazonas and San Martin are two of the most densely populated regions in rural Peru and have some of the highest deforestation rates in the country. They are also home to many threatened and endemic species and are considered a high priority for conservation. Under Peruvian law individuals and community groups can create private conservation areas and conservation concessions, and we evaluated the successes and challenges experienced in the creation and management of such areas, using direct observation, questionnaires and key-informant interviews. Our results show that far from being a problem for conservation many rural communities are actively promoting or participating in conservation initiatives on a local scale with landscape-level impacts. These initiatives include land protection, hunting control and reduced deforestation, thus providing effective solutions to threats. The main obstacles we identified in relation to such campesino (peasant farmer) conservation initiatives were the lack of access to support from governmental and non-governmental institutions and to economic resources to fund the extensive bureaucratic processes of registering protected areas. Many campesino communities bypass these restrictions through informal conservation initiatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: We present a tool to systematically describe and compare the content of innovative models of Integrated Care supported by digital technologies. It is based on a set of common building blocks with an organisation and information perspective, named "Smart Functionalities". Methods: We worked out a set of commonalities in the services that may determine the organisational innovation in the models of care and cure, beyond the intrinsic diversity of the local Initiatives towards Integrated Care. We described 23 classes of Smart Functionalities, organised in 9 areas, which belong to 3 pillars: COL - Supporting the COLLABORATION among the actors of the care process ACT - ACTIVATION of patient and caregiver and promotion of independent living DEC - Strategic, managerial and clinical DECISIONS For each initiative, a group of stakeholders (e.g. health managers, health professionals, technologists, patients associations, suppliers) may express a score about the relevance of each class and converge to a common view through iterative discussions and assessments. Results: We applied the approach to the models behind the tenders in the STOPandGO project, producing tables and radar diagrams for their comparison. We demonstrated that each of the 9 areas of functionalities is highly relevant in at least one tender, and thus the project covers well the whole spectrum of Integrated Care. In average, the most relevant areas across the initiatives resulted 1) telehealth and telecare and 2) the structured sharing of data among the professionals. Discussions: We tested a collaborative, iterative process, alternating analytic individual scoring, comparative summaries and systematic discussions. The tool does not force predefined solutions but provide hints to stimulate the discussion among the participants, to customise the complex models according to a local context; the Smart Functionalities allow to mediate among cultures and roles of the stakeholders without confounding technological details. The main usages may be i) to design and prioritise a series of Local Initiative to face the various objectives of Integrated Care; ii) to prepare the related procurement processes; iii) to plan the technological solutions; iv) to index/classify a set of good practices; v) to compare the relevance of the Smart Functionalities across different Local Initiatives and identify the opportunities of collaboration; vi) to train the managers to identify the opportunities for innovative models in their domain. Conclusions: A systematic planning may optimise the scaling up processes within and across localities, avoiding problems of organisational and technological interoperability in the long run. We demonstrated that a limited set of classes of Smart Functionalities is able to describe the innovation in a wide spectrum of innovative models of Integrated Care; the diversity in STOPandGO being a richness in this respect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With this article I intend to bring to the attention of the reader the opportunity of rural development in general, and rural tourism and partnerships in particular. This solution responds to the current situation rural tourism it's facing, to be characterized further, as the Cinderella of Romanian tourism. Statistically, this form of tourism attracts more tourists each year, especially foreigners, with a considerable increase compared with other forms of tourism. Rural tourism transforms people, some tourists even abandoning their home countries, buying traditional houses in Romania that become seasonal or even permanent residences. The public-private partnership thus becomes a mission undertaken by several stakeholders, being operationalized through a series of objectives that come to support local communities. As so are build the foundations of sustainable and solid tourism, with real chances of success both nationally and internationally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Queues, traffic jam and chaos characterised Oslo in the 1980s. The region Oslo/Akershus had for decades in vain been waiting for national finance in order to solve the problem. A local transport package based on road charging gave the funding for building roads. The region grew by 22% in population in the period 2000–2012. The road traffic has increased by 6% and the public transport by 38% in Oslo, a massive success. Sixty percent of the funds are now invested in public transport. Public attitudes are rather positive. There are still queues, but they are reduced. The local firm ‘Fjellinjen’ owned by Oslo and Akershus do not pay dividends and has reduced administrative and running costs to 10%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: The growth of R&D in East Asia has triggered the notion of a new innovation geography, where R&D is no longer a privilege of the traditional OECD countries. What does this mean for mid-sized emerging economies, without the scale advantages and bargaining power of India or China? This paper uses Turkey as a case to examine the continual unevenness of international R&D investments. By analyzing opportunities and limitations for local initiatives in the telecommunications, pharmaceutical, and automotive industries the paper finds that active private capital, a sufficient scale of production, and focused public policies are needed to attract international R&D. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In the periurban territory pertaining to Oradea, on a length of 11-13 km, South-North direction, 13 km away from the border with Hungary, the first signs regarding the activities configuring a flourishing potential tourism of villegiature have popped up. The Oradea Municipality and the metropolitan territory is the first tourist-emitting pole, in terms of number and level of possibilities for consuming what the tourist targeted space has to offer. The second pole refers to people from abroad. As a result, there is a massive flux of interested tourists (some of them even consider settling here for good), attracted by resources and generous, alluring places of interest, such as: the morphological support of gentle hills, belvedere viewing points, spread-along orchards, considerable density of the wild fauna, recognizable in its own biotopes, several thousands of hectares, individual houses of character with Hungarian architecture, well-kept and appropriated for agro-tourism and rural tourism, archaic customs and traditions reactivated, balanced surroundings in terms of landscape, an ambient of landscape constitutive elements and landscape display which is balanced, warm and tonic, a couple of restaurants and a good infrastructure, which is about to be modernized and improved. There must be mentioned the already undertaken projects and others still in negotiation phase by the local administration regarding the exhibiting and development of tourist places of interest in order to render leisure and villegiature tourism of the best quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The recognition of prior learning (RPL) has been a part of adult education policy and practice for a long time, but in different ways and in different times and places. In Sweden, RPL has been an explicit part of the policy since 1996. This policy analysis starts with the current Swedish policy concerning RPL. The figures of thought expressed in official policy texts are traced in, and compared to what is expressed in, the (discursive) practice of a case of local policy and development initiatives. The objective of the analysis is to see how the policy in official texts is reproduced and transformed at the local level. The theoretical starting point is the Foucauldian concept of 'governmentality', and RPL is seen as a technique for governing adult education, the adult learner and also adult learning. The analysis focuses particularly on the governing of adult education, expressed in the 'salvation narrative' of RPL, and in ideas of what RPL is and how it should be organised. Indirect as well as direct techniques of governing are identified in the governing of and through RPL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) have set out ambitious targets for the provision of water in developing countries. James H. Spencer and his colleagues review the MDGs and suggest that an understanding of local-level strategies for water provision in Southeast Asia may help policymakers and planners formulate policy and financing support mechanisms to help meet them. They suggest that these strategies are useful not only in Southeast Asia, but also in other regions of the developing world currently undergoing a rapid urban transition, such as sub-Saharan Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change is expected to lead to an increase in the number and strength of natural hazards produced by climatic events. This paper presents some examples of the experiences of community-based organisations (CBOs) and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) of variations in climate, and looks at how they have incorporated their findings into the design and implementation of local adaptation strategies. Local organisations integrate climate change and climatic hazards into the design and development of their projects as a means of adapting to their new climatic situation. Projects designed to boost the resilience of local livelihoods are good examples of local adaptation strategies. To upscale these adaptation initiatives, there is a need to improve information exchange between CBOs, NGOs and academia. Moreover, there is a need to bridge the gap between scientific and local knowledge in order to create projects capable of withstanding stronger natural hazards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]