What are the collective action issues for suburban communities responding to the climate change debate

Given the scale of the climate change challenge, there is a multiplicity of perspectives on the question of why some suburban neighbourhoods embrace the need to adapt to climate change and why some neighbourhoods do not. The chapter compares and contrasts four different perspectives on understanding either why neighbourhoods (and the communities that live in them) might adapt in response to climate change issues or why some (most) do not. These include systems theory, the socio-technical perspective, social practice theory and the more ‘conventional’ urban governance perspective. It reviews how the four perspectives firstly offer complementary insights into processes of adaptation and change in the suburbs as well as offering insights into why suburbs do not adapt and secondly identify different instrumentalities for policy-makers looking to encourage adaptation.