Bridging the Scale Gap in Climate Action Plans: Conceptual and Spatial Fragmentation from Ecocity Visions to Building-Scale Strategies

Gizem Köprülü

Session

Architecture and Spatial Planning

Description

Cities are increasingly developing strategies to adapt to the impacts of climate change. The need for strategies from urban planning to building-scale interventions, is also emphasized in the climate action plans of European capitals. In this context, considering values such as climate resilient design and citizen involvement in the process should be the most important part of an effective climate response. This paper examines this disconnect in the context of Europe’s differing climatic problems—floods and heavy rainfall in the North, drought and urban heat island effects in the South—and the shifts in climate zones that cause these problems to become uncertain. The concept of ecocity, which emerged because of the fight against climate change, is also frequently mentioned in these climate action plans. The aim of this paper is to provide a critical assessment of the concept of ecocity and adaptation strategies. Analyses conducted in recent years have shown that ecocity initiatives in Europe generally take the form of urban expansion or retrofitting of existing building stock; new city construction is rare. In addition, it is observed that while most of these initiatives are technology-focused, approaches prioritizing citizen participation remain quite limited. The inconsistent use of terms such as ecocity, econeighborhood, eco-region, eco-community reflects the institutional and conceptual disorganization across scales. On the other hand, while the climate action plans and ecocity frameworks define urban-scale targets in detail, they do not sufficiently detail for the building scale; this makes it difficult for adaptation strategies to find a response on the ground and leaves the architectural scale in the background as a critical interface. This paper questions why and how building-scale strategies cannot be integrated into urbanscale planning policies with a theoretical analysis based on climate-sensitive urbanization literature. In addition, urban scale climate adaptation strategies should not remain solely at the technical planning level; they should be supported by collective learning, participation and awareness processes. The community engagement can facilitate the transformation and resilient of the cities. In this context, a conscious, and locally-sensitive approach both increases the effectiveness of planning and supports the formation of communities resilient to climate change.

Keywords:

Climate Adaptation Strategies, Multi-Scalar Urban Planning, Ecocity, Community Engagement, Building-Scale Interventions

Proceedings Editor

Edmond Hajrizi

ISBN

978-9951-982-41-2

Location

UBT Kampus, Lipjan

Start Date

25-10-2025 9:00 AM

End Date

26-10-2025 6:00 PM

DOI

10.33107/ubt-ic.2025.19

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Oct 25th, 9:00 AM Oct 26th, 6:00 PM

Bridging the Scale Gap in Climate Action Plans: Conceptual and Spatial Fragmentation from Ecocity Visions to Building-Scale Strategies

UBT Kampus, Lipjan

Cities are increasingly developing strategies to adapt to the impacts of climate change. The need for strategies from urban planning to building-scale interventions, is also emphasized in the climate action plans of European capitals. In this context, considering values such as climate resilient design and citizen involvement in the process should be the most important part of an effective climate response. This paper examines this disconnect in the context of Europe’s differing climatic problems—floods and heavy rainfall in the North, drought and urban heat island effects in the South—and the shifts in climate zones that cause these problems to become uncertain. The concept of ecocity, which emerged because of the fight against climate change, is also frequently mentioned in these climate action plans. The aim of this paper is to provide a critical assessment of the concept of ecocity and adaptation strategies. Analyses conducted in recent years have shown that ecocity initiatives in Europe generally take the form of urban expansion or retrofitting of existing building stock; new city construction is rare. In addition, it is observed that while most of these initiatives are technology-focused, approaches prioritizing citizen participation remain quite limited. The inconsistent use of terms such as ecocity, econeighborhood, eco-region, eco-community reflects the institutional and conceptual disorganization across scales. On the other hand, while the climate action plans and ecocity frameworks define urban-scale targets in detail, they do not sufficiently detail for the building scale; this makes it difficult for adaptation strategies to find a response on the ground and leaves the architectural scale in the background as a critical interface. This paper questions why and how building-scale strategies cannot be integrated into urbanscale planning policies with a theoretical analysis based on climate-sensitive urbanization literature. In addition, urban scale climate adaptation strategies should not remain solely at the technical planning level; they should be supported by collective learning, participation and awareness processes. The community engagement can facilitate the transformation and resilient of the cities. In this context, a conscious, and locally-sensitive approach both increases the effectiveness of planning and supports the formation of communities resilient to climate change.