The CityLinks team is pleased to announce the addition of a fourth partnership taking place under the Climate Adaptation Partnership Program. The city of Gold Coast, Australia will serve as a resource city for Semarang, Indonesia in the second round of CityLinks partnerships occurring this year.

Both located on open coastal plains with development in low-lying areas, Semarang and the Gold Coast are particularly vulnerable to climate-related risks and well-matched to learn from each other. As Australia’s second largest coastal local government, the city of Gold Coast has invested substantially over many years in the developing pragmatic approaches to climate-related risks, including sea level rise. The city uses cutting edge natural hazard modelling to inform local policy and governmental approaches to climate change adaptation at the state and national level.

In the coming months, representatives the Gold Coast will bring their expertise in climate adaptation planning to Semarang as part of a series of technical assistance exchange trips. They will be accompanied by CityLinks staff and an expert from the Urban Climate Change Research Network (UCCRN). UCCRN is a consortium of over 550 individuals dedicated to the analysis of climate change mitigation and adaptation from an urban perspective. UCCRN members are scholars and experts from universities and research organizations from around the world. They span a broad range of expertise including climate scientists; urban heat island and air quality experts; climate change impact scientists; social scientists, including political scientists, planners, and economists; and urban designers and planners.

Like Semarang, the Gold Coast faces development pressures and is at a critical stage in its formation given existing and future growth demands. Accordingly, there are opportunities for Semarang to share its experience as an established city of 1.5 million people with the city of Gold Coast. Over the course of the partnership and beyond, these cities will work together to develop and share creative solutions to their common development challenges.

To learn more about the CityLinks program, visit the CityLinks website, follow us on Twitter at @ICMACityLinks, like us on Facebook, and join the climate change discussion in the Climate Preparedness, Adaptation, and Resilience group on the Knowledge Network.