Cities, particularly in developing countries, are especially vulnerable to climate change due to the large concentration of populations and their role as national economic hubs. At the same time, cities are growing, and urbanisation is a source and driver for socio-economic development.
Strategically guiding city development and enabling sustainable urbanisation is one of the key aspirations of City Development Strategies (CDS), and the related methodology advocated by Cities Alliance and its members.
This publication attempts to provide a modest input into the effort of unifying both thematic areas, Climate Change and CDS. This attempt of climate proofing city development strategies is an ongoing process and requires additional effort by governments, academia, and city development partners worldwide.
It is an output of a Cities Alliance Joint Work Programme (JWP), which includes The World Bank, the United Nations Human Settlement Programme (UN-Habitat) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The JWP seeks to help cities address challenges related to climate change, aiming to facilitate a coordinated, focused effort targeting cities and climate change.
The JWP captured current knowledge and supported local and national decision-makers incorporate climate change adaptation and mitigation into their urban planning policies and practices. A number of deliverables have been produced during this collaboration, including: an online catalogue to facilitate access to knowledge on cities and climate change, various tools for incorporating climate change into urban policies and practices, analytic and assessment guides, a handbook for mayors on climate change adaptation and mitigation in cities.
