Urban vulnerability in the EMME region and sustainable development goals: A new conceptual framework

Abstract

• A new conceptual framework to examine major trends and gaps in themes of research. • Review of urban vulnerability publications across its different domains in the EMME region. • Tentative definition of urban vulnerability is provided based on the main domains identified. • Urban atmospheric pollution and effects on physical health are the most prevalent topics. • Only a handful of SDGs are addressed in urban vulnerability research in the EMME region. Crises have shocked the global population and forced entire nations to shift their operations and priorities. The adverse effects of these crises primarily impact cities and their inhabitants; nevertheless, inherently, they have the potential to overcome them. Urban centres are home to around half of the global population, and often they are correlated to high standards of life, mostly in the Western world. Nevertheless, cities are highly flawed and, at times, are coming up short when it comes to accommodating human needs. Thus, the motivation of this work is to investigate urban vulnerabilities linked to the broader topic of climate change, focusing on urban centres in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East region. This study has a dual purpose: to introduce a content-based approach of analysis, akin to bibliometrics, using proxies and links to recreate a research landscape and investigate urban vulnerability under specific conditions and how it affects public health; ultimately, offering a tentative definition of it. The novelty of this study is the proxies and links approach, through which we have identified the major trends in urban vulnerability research, as well as possible under-explored themes, by interpreting qualitative findings into more tangible ones.