4PCCD examined the potential of partnerships between public, private and civil society actors to bridge the gap between rhetoric and action in climate change policy. In creating the conditions for climate compatible development, partnerships may act as a bridge between development and environmental concerns. Existing examples, such as the successful waste management system in Maputo, Mozambique, show the potential of approaches that engage a wide range of actors to develop synergies for the achievement of common objectives. However there are also risks in the use of partnerships as a form of governance.

In Maputo, peri-urban communities are threatened by increasing risk of flooding, and the government is facing the bleak prospect of having to relocate them. FUNAB – the National Fund for the Environment of Mozambique – is seeking ways to make sure the views of local citizens are represented in the decision-making processes that seek to manage future urban climate governance risks in Maputo. Can local views be represented fairly in the municipal planning process through a partnership approach?

4PCCD was an action research project which explored different forms of dialogue in planning, bringing together a variety of public, private and civil society actors to listen to the voices of Maputo’s citizens. The project was conceived as an experiment in dealing with the practical realities of partnership development for participatory planning.

Through a four-stage methodology, the 12-month project aimed to establish criteria for the assessment of public-private-people partnerships (4P), mobilize a 4P platform in Maputo, assist the development of Local Climate Change and Development Plans at the community level, and disseminate findings with a view to contributing to the completion of the Mozambique National Climate Change Strategy.

Project website

The participatory planning process established through this project empowered citizens to develop a collective vision and present it to government institutions and private firms in Maputo. In addition, 4PCCD created opportunities for dialogue among government institutions, businesses and communities, both in informal meetings and public forums.

This pilot project showed that municipalities can speed up climate policy development by inviting local communities to share their experiences and knowledge. It also highlighted that participatory planning needs sufficient allocation of time and money in order to undertake meaningful community consultation and a detailed scientific assessment of climate impacts. As a result of the project, FUNAB have altered their practices and are working more closely with the local association, and the community gained some political traction.

This pilot project was awarded the United Nations ‘Lighthouse Activity’ Award, under the Momentum for Change Initiative's urban poor pillar. See here for a short film on the Maputo project experience, produced as part of the Momentum for Change Initiative.

Read more in the CDKN Inside Story: A local vision of climate adaptation: Participatory urban planning in Mozambique.

Reading and resources

• Project Summary
• Policy Brief Planning for Climate Compatible Development in Maputo
• Local Climate Change Action Plan
• Learning Workshop, Maputo June 2013

In 2015 the team published a book, Participatory Planning for Climate Compatible Development in Maputo, Mozambique.

The team have also contributed chapters to the following books:

• Building Adaptive Capacity in the Informal Settlements of Maputo: Lessons for Development from a Resilience Perspective, in Climate Change Adaptation and Development: Transforming Paradigms and Practices, Routledge 2015
• Partnerships for climate change in Maputo, Mozambique, in Retrofitting Cities: Priorities, Governance and Experimentation, Routledge December 2015

Academic articles:

• Environmentalities of urban climate governance in Maputo, Mozambique, in Global Environmental Change
• Planning for climate change in the African city, in International Development Planning Review
• Governing climate change for a just city: challenges and lessons from Maputo, Mozambique, in Local Environment
• Building collaborative partnerships for climate change action in Maputo, Mozambique, in Environment and Planning A
• Participatory urban planning for climate change in coastal cities: Lessons from a pilot experience in Maputo, Mozambique, in Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability

Lead: Vanesa Castán Broto (Development and Planning Unit, University College London)

Project Partners: Carlos Seventine (FUNAB – National Fund for the Environment of Mozambique); Emily Boyd (School of Geography and Environmental Science, University of Reading); Jonathan Ensor (Centre for Applied Human Rights, University of York).

CDKN Funding: £114,000

Regions/Countries: Mozambique, Africa.

Type: Research project, CDKN Innovation Fund