The problem of climate change is high on the various political-administrative agendas, both national and international. At the same time the problem is full of uncertainties and controversies. Adaptation to climate change asks for adjustments in our spatial planning, but can also necessitate changes in the distribution of public and private responsibilities. A crucial question is how the legitimacy of adaptation measures can be organized in a context surrounded with uncertainties, controversies and conflicting interests. In this paper we introduce the central theme of this special issue and the various contributions.

This paper investigates the causal relationship between neighbourhood characteristics and the popularity of the political party 'Partij voor de Vrijheid (PVV)' during the municipal elections in The Hague on March 3^rd 2010. The party, founded and led by Geert Wilders, also operates on the national level and can be characterized as anti-immigration and anti-establishment. During the municipal elections, it received support in different types of neighbourhoods, such as white working class areas from the early and mid 20^th century, postwar housing estates, and brand new suburban neighbourhood on the city's periphery. Our analyses point to several neighbourhood characteristics which prove decisive in explaining PVV support. These characteristics are: the presence of older autochthonous Dutch (55 years and older), the presence of autochthonous families with children, a balanced mix between native Dutch and non-Western immigrant residents, and few high income households. These findings support the theoretical explanation of anxiety and insecurity among lower middle classes in an age of globalisation, crises and state retreat. In addition, they also point to dissatisfaction among older and less-mobile residents of rapidly changing inner-city neighbourhoods, who are become more socially isolated as their local social networks are diminishing. The paper concludes with a reflection on current urban policies which are unable to tackle dissatisfaction.