Building Urban Resilience to address urbanization and climate change challenges

As part of the publication Resilience: The Science of Adaptation to Climate Change, this chapter is on the importance of taking community and ecosystem-focused approaches to urban resilience to address the two most pressing challenges of the 21st century: urbanization (that is unplanned and inequitable) and climate change.

Abstract

Climate change and urbanization are increasingly defining the planet yet they are both characterized by inequitable impacts and inadequate responses. Cities are responsible for an estimated 75% of global greenhouse gas emissions, but much of this is concentrated in the developed world. The need for adaptation is pervasive across cities of every size and climate, especially in the rapidly expanding cities of developing countries given the high levels of vulnerability. Urbanization has enhanced economic development and improved the lives of many people in the past few decades, however basic living conditions still elude millions of urban residents around the world. There are many climate change-related risks—rising sea levels, storm surges, heat stress, extreme precipitation, inland and coast flooding—for urban areas and they are on the rise. These risks are heightened for those living in informal settlements, lacking adequate housing, basic services, and reliable infrastructure.

Responses to climate change and urbanization reveal that there has been a proliferation of global agreements and support generated from the international level, however the capacity, data, and finance at the city level to effectuate change is variable. Solutions vary by city, country, and region. In high income countries, improving urban spaces is critical for reducing global greenhouse emissions and there is great potential for multiple benefits from upgrading urban areas—increased mobility, more reliable energy sources, and reducing vulnerabilities to disaster while transitioning to a low-carbon economy powered by cities. Engaging local communities and adopting ecosystem-based approaches to adaptation in urban and peri-urban areas have further potential to attain sustainable development for cities.