Mainstreaming adaptation: a content analysis of political agendas in Colombian cities

This paper investigates how climate adaptation measures are mainstreamed in the larger political agenda of cities in the Global South. Based on a content analysis of the development plans of the 10 biggest cities in Colombia the paper presents a typology of how climate adaptation is addressed in the political agendas. It is shown that institutional constraints and the complex character of adaptation are challenges for mainstreaming adaptation and lead to implementation difficulties. In order to get a clear picture of the reasons why mainstreaming adaptation is not a problem-free, linear process but rather a winding road, climate adaptation has to be understood as a contested policy field which stands in competition to other political goals.