Attending to the unattended: Why and how do local governments plan for access and functional needs in climate risk reduction?

Research and practice in climate risk reduction often view marginalized individuals through the lens of vulnerability. However, this perspective lacks specificity of which groups and needs should be incorporated, features narrow wealth-based conceptualization and provides insufficient operationalizable guidance for planning and implementation. This study highlights the theoretical and practical significance of a functional-based approach. It transcends the apparent differences among social groups, instead identifying their shared activity limitations and associated access and functional needs (AFNs) amid climate hazards. Those social groups generally include but not limited to people with disabilities, limited language proficiency, restricted mobility and economic disadvantage, pregnant women as well as children and seniors. We combine quantitative and qualitative analysis to investigate how and why local governments incorporate AFNs in their climate risk reduction. Based on hazard mitigation and climate adaptation plans across local governments in California, our results show that AFN inclusion is consistently predicted by AFN incorporation in higher-level plans, rather than the presence of AFN populations. Besides, plans embracing the functional-based approach achieve greater comprehensiveness and depth of AFN inclusion. We further highlight the commonalities and differences between the two types of plans and conclude with strategic and operational implications for risk reduction efforts.