Learning to adapt to climate change in urban areas. A review of recent contributions

Abstract

There are two lessons emerging from this review relevant to the debate of adaptation to climate change in urban areas: there are diverse and useful disciplinary contributions and experiences to build adaptation strategies during the last few years, but few efforts to create multidimensional approaches guiding operational strategies; there is growing attention to integrate adaptation as part of a development process addressing structural condition causing social and urban vulnerability. The conclusions of the review highlight the urgency to update and improve our current conceptual models to address the complex reality of urban areas in an era of dynamic socioeconomic, and biophysical global changes.