"Right size, right place” climate adaptation plan for the Clyde
Published: 12 August 2025
A new University of Glasgow study is offering critical insight into how cities on tidal estuaries, such as Glasgow, can better prepare for the growing threat of climate change-related flooding.
As climate change continues to raise sea levels and increase the risk of flooding, researchers at the University of Glasgow are urging cities to rethink how they adapt their infrastructure.
A new study from the University’s School of Geographical & Earth Sciences highlights that larger estuaries, like the Clyde, require a different approach to managing tidal flooding than smaller ones. Using advanced flood modelling researchers found that even significant land use changes such as managed realignment, an increasingly adopted method of mitigating flood risk by giving space for tidal flooding, offer only limited protection in large estuaries where floodwaters from the sea can overwhelm traditional defences.
The study suggests a “right size, right place” approach is needed to make climate adaptation strategies like managed realignment effective. While this method, creating or restoring wetlands to absorb tidal surges, can reduce flood risk in smaller estuaries, it becomes less effective and more complex in urban areas with competing land-use demands.
Dr Octria Prasojo, the study’s lead author, said:
“Our results show that climate resilience strategies must be matched to the local geography. For larger estuaries, we need more strategic, long-term planning to safely manage future flood risks.”
This study is an outcome from the GALLANT project (Glasgow as a Living Lab Accelerating Novel Transformation), led by the University’s Centre for Sustainable Solutions and funded by UKRI’s Natural Environment Research Council. The project works across sectors to explore new ways of building resilience to climate change while addressing wider social, economic and health inequalities.
Professor Jaime Toney, GALLANT Principal Investigator and Academic Lead for Sustainable Futures, added:
“Climate adaptation in Glasgow and beyond needs to be proactive and place-specific. Getting the scale and location of interventions right is essential to protecting people and infrastructure in the decades ahead.”
By aligning climate adaptation with equity-focused research, the University of Glasgow is helping cities like Glasgow prepare not just for the environmental challenges ahead but for a more just and sustainable future.
First published: 12 August 2025