Sustainability principles put into practice: case studies of network analysis in Swiss climate change adaptation

摘要

Climate adaptation policies increasingly incorporate\udsustainability principles into their design and\udimplementation. Since successful adaptation by means of\udadaptive capacity is recognized as being dependent upon\udprogress toward sustainable development, policy design is\udincreasingly characterized by the inclusion of state and\udnon-state actors (horizontal actor integration), cross-sectoral\udcollaboration, and inter-generational planning perspectives.\udComparing four case studies in Swiss mountain\udregions, three located in the Upper Rhone region and one\udcase from western Switzerland, we investigate how sustainability\udis put into practice. We argue that collaboration\udnetworks and sustainability perceptions matter when\udassessing the implementation of sustainability in local\udclimate change adaptation. In other words, we suggest that\udadaptation is successful where sustainability perceptions\udtranslate into cross-sectoral integration and collaboration\udon the ground. Data about perceptions and network relations\udare assessed through surveys and treated via cluster\udand social network analysis.