Consideration of the local-specific characteristics is an important prerequisite for generating tailored and effective solutions with a high degree of adaptability in sustainable and resilient regional development.
Implementation and Transformative Practices
The SURE collaborative projects are at the forefront of developing solutions and transformative practices with local partners to promote sustainability and resilience in urban regions. The projects participants are actively engaged in transformative practices, which involve the permanent transfer of newly acquired skills and technical solutions for sustainable urban development into practice of the local stakeholder. They should employ a range of strategies and approaches aimed at creating eco-friendly, resilient, and socially just systems in the face of climate change challenges.
The implementation of sustainability strategies is closely linked to the establishment of transformative practices. Nature-based, technology-driven, and community-centered solutions can only be effective in the long term if they are accompanied by changes in ways we live and work. For instance, the adoption of early warning systems for extreme weather events and its implementation in crisis management practices (e.g., in FloodAdaptVN) demonstrate the connection of technical and social transformations. Similarly, efforts to enhance energy efficiency in both historic and modern buildings (e.g., in CHARMS) contribute to the socio-technical transformation.
The implementation of these practices, which enable climate impact adaptation and mitigation, is a joint effort of politics, civil society, and business in the SURE projects. Through this cooperation, capacity building initiatives and educational programs are employed as well as technological practices for data collection and analysis to support resilient and climate-friendly regional development in Southeast Asia and China (e.g., in LIRLAP). The transfer of practice must be tailored to the local and cultural context, but also to the specific target group profiles (e.g., in URA).