Journal of Planning Education and Research

Abstract

Cities throughout the world are experiencing new weather and climatic patterns that are being attributed to global cli-mate change (IPCC 2007). As temperatures and precipitation shift over time, many scientists argue that urban areas will need to cope with a host of events, including increased inci-dence of heat waves, water shortages, storm surges, and natural disasters. The impacts of these events will stress urban infrastructure, decrease the habitability of many build-ings, tax services, and in the process, create housing, health, and livelihood hardships for the most vulnerable residents (Satterthwaite et al. 2007; Dodman and Satterthwaite 2008). While cities in all regions are at risk, scientific projections suggest that urban areas in the global south are likely to experience some of the most immediate and severe impacts. Minimizing the impacts that climate change will have on