Abstract:
In the face of growing climate-related risks, traditional top-down models of risk governance
increasingly appear inadequate for enabling effective and inclusive local resilience planning. The
public-private-civil partnership (PPCP®) approach was developed to foster collaborative governance
by involving stakeholders from the public, private, and civil society sectors in co-designing
context-sensitive strategies. This article outlines the conceptual foundations and core principles of
the PPCP®, based on a review of governance models and social innovation tools, and details its
implementation through a series of locally organized Labs. Drawing on experience from two case
studies areas (Egaleo in Greece and two municipalities in Portugal's Centro Region), it highlights
outcomes such as improved cross-sector dialogue, the co-production of local knowledge, and
more collaborative governance practices. The article also identifies key challenges, including low
private sector involvement, institutional inertia, and limited civil society mobilization. It concludes
with recommendations to overcome these barriers and strengthen the PPCP®’s transformative
potential. These findings contribute to ongoing debates on local governance for climate
resilience and propose pathways for embedding more inclusive and adaptive participatory
processes.
