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Paper long abstract:

The climate is changing and larger cities in Europe are in a process of planning how to meet this challenge. This article focuses on the concept of LAR (local handling of rainwater) and the role of private home owners in urban climate adaptation. By looking at how the concept of LAR is used, changed and turned in to practice, the article discuss the role of home owners in handling of rain and cloudburst. The article reports from a case study of a housing cooperative in Copenhagen, which has tried to start a large LAR project. Especially a cloudburst in the summer 2011, as well as changing local policies has been powerful actors influencing this process. Using Actor-network theory the focus of the article is on how the concept of LAR, and thereby the role of the residents of the housing cooperative have been transformed and challenged by a number of other actors such as; municipality employees, rainwater, local plans, roads, roofs, adaptation policy, drinking water and many more. Three central controversies get identified around the concept of LAR: first if climate change adaptation plans should focus on private or public areas; second if the main concern should be daily rain or extreme weather; third if rainwater should be seen as a resources or a problem. The article shows how those controversies are changing the connection between actors and thereby continually are transforming the role and understandings of private home owners.