Cities are changing fast. More people are moving to urban areas, while climate change puts pressure on housing, infrastructure and other essential services. These changes can raise difficult questions about who is most at risk, how decisions are made and what more resilient cities could look like. At the same time, cities offer important opportunities to develop more inclusive and sustainable ways of living. Research from UNU-EHS explores how urban transformation can be realized through collaboration, participation and new approaches to understanding and addressing risk. Here are five recommended reads that offer insights into how cities can become more just, climate-resilient and inclusive:
Weaving Urban Futures: Trajectories towards just and climate-resilient cities
How can different actors work together to create more just and climate-resilient urban futures? Weaving Urban Futures presents a practical guide on how to move beyond traditional, expert-led approaches to urban planning. It brings together communities, grassroots organizations, governments, researchers, funders and private-sector actors to collectively imagine and create shared futures. Furthermore, the guide highlights the importance of co-creation, dialogue, trust-building and collective action in developing locally grounded responses to complex urban challenges and offers insights for citymakers seeking to make urban transformation more inclusive and equitable.
Tools to Weave Urban Futures
Transforming cities requires good plans combined with practical ways of bringing people together to turn ideas into action. Tools to Weave Urban Futures provides a collection of methods, activities and approaches designed to support systemic change in cities. Developed through the experiences of five Urban Labs in Latin America, the toolbox is designed for a wide range of citymakers, from government institutions and community organizations to NGOs, private-sector partners and funders. It provides adaptable tools and lessons for addressing climate risk, inequality and urban development through collaboration and collective action.
ARRIVE – Analysis of Risk for Urban Migrants, Refugees, and IDPs in Vulnerable Environments
What happens when migration, urbanization and climate risks intersect? ARRIVE examines the risks faced by migrants, refugees and internally displaced persons as they settle in cities, with a focus on secondary cities in the Global South. Secondary cities are urban centres that are smaller than a country’s largest or capital city, but still play important economic, social and administrative roles within their regions.
Based on research in seven cities across the Philippines, Pakistan, Colombia, Nigeria and Côte d’Ivoire, the report explores how factors such as insecure housing, limited access to services and exposure to hazards like flooding and extreme heat can increase people’s vulnerability. It highlights that these risks are not caused by migration itself, but by underlying gaps in urban systems, and offers recommendations that consider the needs of both newcomers and host communities.
Loss and Damage: How Can We Care for Our Communities So We Don't Lose What We Love Most?
This illustrated booklet introduces children and young people to the concept of loss and damage and explores how climate change is affecting communities in the Global South. Drawing on research from neighbourhoods in São Paulo, Nairobi and Jakarta, the book looks at the experiences of communities living in self-built urban neighbourhoods and shows how climate impacts can affect people's lives, health, homes and futures. At the same time, it emphasizes that communities are not simply victims of climate change, and that collective action, community organization and support from governments and others can help create safer and more hopeful urban futures.
Transformative Climate Action using Participatory Data-Driven Decision-Making Platforms
Digital technologies and data can play an important role in helping cities respond to climate change – but they should be used in ways that are inclusive and participatory to ensure local communities have a meaningful voice. This policy brief explores how participatory approaches and digital tools can help cities better understand climate risks, plan for the future and involve communities in decision-making. Additionally, it highlights practical approaches such as creating digital maps with the help of residents to identify local risks, creating experimental models to test different solutions, as well as using AI to support urban planning. Lastly, the brief emphasizes the importance of inclusive planning, local expertise and better access to climate finance to help cities build a more resilient future.
