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Resilient Urban Infrastructure and Climate Change Adaptation in Megacities : A Comparative Assessment of Cairo, London and New York

Khamis, R. (2018) Resilient Urban Infrastructure and Climate Change Adaptation in Megacities : A Comparative Assessment of Cairo, London and New York.

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Abstract:Significant changes in climate are projected in the upcoming years combined with major impacts of frequent and extreme weather conditions affecting nations and major cities. In parallel, an increased urbanization is anticipated given that in decades the majority of the world’s inhabitants are expected to be residing in cities. Therefore, ensuring adaptation remains an urgent matter for urban agglomerations since they are susceptible and vulnerable to climate change on one hand, and are exposing a large and an increased number of dwellers to major impacts on the other hand. This research focuses on megacities, which are hosting and exposing millions of people to major impacts of global warming. The effects of this phenomenon are manifested in extreme weather events and natural disasters causing deteriorating damages to the environment and the social and physical infrastructure. The selected unit highlights the severity and magnitude of climate change in urbanized areas and develops a sense of urgency to act. Hence, questions are raised to deduce the way forward for climate adaptation in megacities. This study adds to existing literature through identifying impacts of climate change on the urban infrastructure and creating empirical knowledge about adaptation strategies and environmental urban planning practices in place. For this purpose, a comparative research approach is adopted, focusing on three megacities: Cairo, London and New York. This approach sheds light on the various methods employed to understand the impacts, to develop strategies, to implement them and to address barriers to implementation. An ‘Urban Resilience Index’ is developed and applied, addressing a series of matters to assess the resilience of the infrastructure in megacities. This approach makes the resilience of the urban infrastructure quantifiable and tangible, which allows to deduce recommendations for climate change adaptation in megacities. The results of the comparison reveal the importance of addressing climate change on a city scale. Firstly, through understanding the particular impacts on the urban physical infrastructure and their respective socio-economic implications. Secondly, through developing strategies and policies tailored to a particular context based on the understanding of the vulnerabilities. Thirdly, through implementing creative and innovative urban planning approaches to increase the city’s resilience. Additionally, the results highlight the importance of keeping the developed strategies up-dated based on recent assessments as well as finding practical solutions to address barriers to implementation.
Item Type:Essay (Master)
Faculty:BMS: Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences
Subject:43 environmental science
Programme:Environmental and Energy Management MSc (69319)
Link to this item:https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/77499
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