Effectiveness of Multi-level governance in urban climate resilience building in Zimbabwe

Abstract

Urban areas are progressively becoming vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, necessitating robust and integrated climate resilience strategies. Zimbabwe's urban centres are confronted by poly-crises, including climate challenges. Multi-level governance (MLG) has emerged as a crucial framework for addressing the complex, multi-dimensional challenges of urban climate resilience. MLG ensures that urban areas can better adapt to and mitigate the impacts of climate change. While there is ample research on the importance of multi-level governance in building urban climate resilience, the nature and extent of coordination between different governance levels in addressing climate change impacts in Zimbabwe remains to be elucidated. Therefore, this paper explores the effectiveness of MLG in enhancing urban climate resilience by examining the interactions between local, regional, and national governance levels and the non-state actors. This research utilised a targeted and systematic search strategy to identify relevant documents from academic databases and institutional repositories. Electronic search was conducted on the Research4Life and JSTOR platforms. The selected literature was analysed through thematic content analysis.  The paper identifies key challenges, including fragmented policy frameworks, limited financial resources, and capacity gaps, which hinder the effective implementation of urban resilience-building strategies. It also highlights opportunities for improving coordination, increasing stakeholder participation, and ensuring equitable access to resources. This research aims to provide insights into the strengths and weaknesses of MLG in fostering urban climate resilience and recommends strategies for enhancing governance structures to better address climate change challenges. The findings underscore the importance of multi-level collaboration, integrated planning, and inclusive decision-making processes to build sustainable and resilient urban environments.