Urban Vulnerability and Climate Change in Africa

Urbanisation and climate change are among the major challenges for sustainable development in Africa. The overall aim of this book is to present innovative approaches to vulnerability analysis and for enhancing the resilience of African cities against climate change-induced risks. Locally adapted IPCC climate change scenarios, which also consider possible changes in urban population, have been developed. Innovative strategies to land use and spatial planning are proposed that seek synergies between the adaptation to climate change and the need to solve social problems. Furthermore, the book explores the role of governance in successfully coping with climate-induced risks in urban areas. The book is unique in that it combines: a top-down perspective of climate change modeling with a bottom-up perspective of vulnerability assessment; quantitative approaches from engineering sciences and qualitative approaches of the social sciences; a novel multi-risk modeling methodology; and strategic approaches to urban and green infrastructure planning with neighborhood perspectives of adaptation.

1. Urbanisation and Climate Change in Africa: Setting the Scene.- 2. The Impacts of Climate Change on African Cities.- 3. Vulnerability of Built Environment to Flooding in African Cities.- 4. Green Infrastructure for Climate Adaptation in African Cities.- 5. Small Cities and Towns in Africa: Insights into Adaptation Challenges and Potentials.- 6. Assessing Social Vulnerability of Households and Communities in Flood Prone Urban Areas.- 7. Multi-Risk Assessment as a Tool for Decision-Making.- 8. USSDM - Urban Spatial Scenario Design Modelling.- 9. Multi-level Governance, Resilience to Flood Risks and Coproduction in Urban Africa.- 10. Towards Climate Change Resilient Cities in Africa - Initiating Adaptation in Dar es Salaam and Addis Ababa.- 11. Fostering Transformative Climate Adaptation and Mitigation in the African City: Opportunities and Constraints of Urban Planning.- 12. The Way Forward: Climate Resilient Cities for Africa’s Future.- Index