The climate is about to change to a warmer state. At least according to global and Swedish national climate prognoses from IPCC and SMHI. According to the same prognoses these changes will have an significant impact on cities. Impacts such as, for example, more intense and frequently occuring downpours and raised sea levels which leaves cities at the risk of flooding.

The process of adapting cities to climate changes can be seen as a task for the spatial planing, a process that can be called climate adaption. However, the question of adapting cities to future climate changes is at low priority due to many causes.

This study aims to examine what happens if a prognosed risk of climate change precedes the actual changes. Could such an inident lead to a more proactive planning for adaption to climate changes?

In 2nd of July 2011 there was a skyfall in Copenhagen, Denmark. An incident that lead to an extensive flooding of the city. The municipality of Copenhagens process for climate adaption, in terms of making Copenhagen resilient to floodings caused by heavy downpours, through strategical documents constitutes the Case in this study.

The aim of this essay is to study the connection between crises and the process of climate adaption. An aim that’s going to be achieved by examining if the incident in 2011 have been a window of opportunity for the process of climate adaption that constitutes the Case in this essay.