Dilemmas in Statutory Urban Planning When Addressing the Climate Adaptation Implementation Gap: Insights from Six European Cities

As the climate crisis intensifies, the urgency of climate adaptation is becoming increasingly evident, if not imperative. Adaptation efforts often fall short in implementation, revealing a critical gap in climate-responsive planning. This study investigates the potential of statutory urban planning instruments to enable climate adaptation and bridge the adaptation implementation gap. To tackle this challenge, we introduce the BRIDGE framework, operationalized using an indicator-based screening tool that integrates three dimensions of the planning practice—substantive, procedural, and contextual—with three foundational pillars—agility, robustness, and legal certainty—complemented by three adaptive planning factors—complexity, uncertainty, and flexibility. The tool was pilot-tested in six European cities to screen the capacity of recently approved land use plans to enable climate adaptation implementation. The findings confirm that the consideration of uncertainty is overlooked, as well as the ongoing assessment and tracking of risks and adaptive measures. These setbacks potentially hamper institutions’ ability to respond to evolving climate conditions and undermines the legal embedding of adaptation measures. Ultimately, this study reinforces the need to strengthen context-specific and scientifically grounded planning decisions, enable procedural and legal flexibility, and balance the tensions between strategic vision and regulatory enforcement of adaptation.