2 0 1 1 Planning for extreme weather events and climate change: innovative regional planning responses in Australia Barbara Norman 1 and Hitomi Nakanishi 2 ___________________________________________________________________________ 1.0 INTRODUCTION Increasing urbanization, recent extreme weather events and the impacts of climate change are challenging the traditional approaches to urban and regional planning in Australia. The purpose of this paper is to explore the impacts of extreme weather and climate change on the planning system. A particular focus is the current and future contribution of regional planning as a strategic policy response. Within Australia, most urban planning policy and regulation occurs at the state and local level of government. More recently there has been a re-engagement at the national level of government in both urban and regional planning policy (Crean 2010, 2011, Australian Government 2010, 2011). This has been triggered by several factors including population growth, demographic change, regional economic development, infrastructure provision and the impacts of climate change. Recent extreme weather events of flood, bushfire, heat and coastal storms have further emphasized the national interest in planning more sustainable cities and regions. Some of the most innovative planning responses are occurring at the regional level, that is, involving more than one local government area. Collaboration and interdisciplinary policy development have been important considerations. Case studies from different regional locations are examined to highlight the strengths and weaknesses in the regional approaches and what lessons can be learned and shared globally with many other cities experiencing similarly issues. This paper explores this trend in regional planning and using case studies identifies some of the key innovations occurring in regional planning in response to recent extreme weather events and planning for climate change. Conclusions are made on the implications for regional planning more generally and its contribution in planning for a more sustainable future. 2.0 IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE AND EXTREME WEATHER 2.1 Projected Impacts and risks of Climate Change in Australia Australia is one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change because of its location, variation of climate, land use and habitation. The observed climate variability and future trends in Australia are analysed in recent literature. The overview is released as a chapter in the IPCC fourth report by Hennessy, K. et al.(2007). The phenomenon of climate change in Australia can be best described as projections of: average temperature and frequency of hot days; total rainfall and heavy rainfall events; 1 Professor, Urban and Regional planning, Faculty of Business and Government, University of Canberra, ACT Australia. 2 Assistant Professor, Urban and Regional planning, Faculty of Business and Government, University of Canberra, ACT, Asutralia. － 842 －