The conclusion of the Rockefeller Foundation's formal engagement in Semarang in 2018 has brought forth questions about continued financial and institutional support for climate adaptation action in the city. Increasing land subsidence will also likely overwhelm current efforts to incrementally adapt to sea level rise and coastal flooding . Still, the Semarang case study does highlight several key lessons for urban climate governance in secondary rapidly urbanising cities in the Global South. First, transnational institutions and partnerships are critical enablers . Institutions such as the Rockefeller Foundation foster programmes and investment in the city, leverage access to adaptation funding, accelerate climate mainstreaming into wider urban sectors, and promote better knowledge management . However, such opportunities are also supported by the city's ability to further mobilise its own resources in the long term and remove its dependency on the national government and transnational supporters . Second, scaling up of programmes and replication of adaptation actions are increasingly important to close the gap between planning and implementation . It is evident that increased community empowerment and participation can help fill this gap , but this must also be evidence-based to ensure its applicability and effectiveness . Questions remain around how to determine and assess evidence-based participatory adaptation at the local level. Third, sustainable financing  to support proposed adaptation strategies is essential as it allows for more capacity building, technology transfer and programme implementation in the long run . An example is the development of a water retention on the eastern coast of Semarang using a collaborative financing model, which helped further adaptation by protecting water resources for local industries as well as promote the idea of land value capture for community residents.
IPCC
Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability
IPCC Report