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February 2025

Practice Guide: Climate Change Adaptation

The Climate Change Adaptation Practice Guide represents the first in a series of practice guides to be published by OPPI in 2025 and beyond, on topics of importance to the planning profession.


The Climate Change Adaptation Practice Guide was developed by the Ontario Professional Planners Institute and the Climate Risk Institute through the Ontario Resource Centre for Climate Adaptation.

INTRODUCTION

Effective land use and community planning that integrates climate change considerations is essential for creating climate-resilient communities. Planning is a diverse field that spans government, the private sector, and academia, involving municipal departments, Conservation Authorities, public health organizations, research institutions, and more. Planners play a critical role in shaping communities that can withstand the impacts of climate change across Canada, as extreme weather events, flooding, heatwaves, and other climate-related threats are projected to intensify. 

Across Ontario, municipalities and other actors, including Conservation Authorities and public health agencies, are already striving to build climate-resilient communities and regions through land-use planning and development. Given the diverse needs and capacities of communities across Ontario, locally tailored approaches to climate change adaptation are required. While planners in larger or mid-sized cities like Mississauga or Kitchener focus on large-scale infrastructure and policy changes, rural and northern communities often invest in developing context-specific solutions that leverage natural features and local knowledge to address climate hazards. 

Increasingly, various planning tools and interventions are being used to help address the impacts and reduce the risks of climate-related hazards.

ABOUT

This practice guide showcases a range of innovative planning tools and interventions designed to effectively reduce the risks posed by various climate hazards. It serves as a reference for inspiration and ideas.

The guide contains information and key concepts to support adaptation planning and interventions across various community and service area contexts. It provides case studies highlighting the use of established planning methods to build climate resilience in ways that resonate with the priorities and needs of communities. The highlighted interventions illustrate the adaptability of planning tools across diverse municipal, organizational, and agency contexts, emphasizing their relevance for planning professionals.

STRUCTURE

This guide includes four main sections to help planners understand and apply planning interventions to foster more climate resilient communities: 

  • Climate Change and Planning: This section relates planning practices to climate change adaptation and identifies the legislative framework and enabling policies for adaptation planning in Ontario.
  • Climate Hazards and Adaptation Planning: This section provides an overview of key climate hazards worsened by climate change and related adaptation planning measures that can be considered to manage associated risks.
  • Planning Interventions Supporting Climate Adaptation: This section provides an overview of specific interventions planners can use to advance adaptation, including case studies that illustrate how these interventions have been successfully implemented across Ontario.
  • Resource Guide: This section includes a curated collection of resources intended to support planners in applying the information in this guide.

Using The Climate Change Adaptation Practice Guide, Ontario planners can draw valuable insights from climate actions undertaken elsewhere in the province. By analyzing how these strategies align with the local priorities, demographics, and environmental conditions, communities can build on existing successes while tailoring solutions to their specific challenges. This approach leverages the strength of established methods while empowering communities to create interventions that resonate with their values and needs, maximizing both impact and sustainability.

Read the Climate Change Adaptation Practice Guide