Planned or emerging futures? Addressing climate change on regional level by strategic planning

Climate change is an emerging planning and policy-making task from global and national to
regional and local levels. Lately, particularly the sub-national level planning has been
emphasized. Climate change strategies aim to reduce uncertainty on the climate induced
societal changes and to find ways to proactively adapt to them. However, climate change is a
complex phenomenon and a wicked problem and hence poses challenges to planning.
This paper discusses strategic planning as a forum and tool for addressing climate change on
regional level. In addition to theoretical discussion, examples from the collaborative planning process of the Regional Climate Change Strategy 2030 of Finnish Lapland are given. The case study shows that the changing climate has become a dynamic actor in regional development that can bring also new opportunities to the region, change weaknesses into strengths and even change the strategic position of the region. Regional development related strategic planning can serve well as a context and tool for climate change adaptation. However, the task to promote regional development can lead to less emphasis on global and environmental concerns and more on ensuring the auspicious development in the region.

Keywords: strategic planning, regional development, climate change, regional level