Setting the scene for bridging differences by design: Environmental, organizational, and program conditions for boundary spanning in climate adaptation planning

Collaboration and spanning boundaries across parties is needed in climate adaptation planning to combat the impacts of climate change. Spatial designers are amongst the professionals that take up boundary spanning activities in these kinds of complex planning contexts. However, boundary spanning work and opportunities are conditioned by many external factors. Building on existing insights in boundary spanning literature, this study investigated the environmental, organizational and program-related conditions for boundary spanning by spatial designers in two climate adaptation planning programs: Sigmaplan in Belgium and Rebuild by Design in New York/New Jersey (USA). A devastating climate event, a dominant or changing policy paradigm, and the physical and institutional setting emerged as influential environmental conditions for boundary spanning in climate adaptation programs. Boundary spanning by spatial designers was strongly determined by the structure and design of the program, and by the role and the position of the designers within the program.