Adapting to Climate Change: Cities and the Urban Poor

Adapting to Climate Change: Cities and the Urban Poor

Resource Library | Author Peter Feiden | Date August 2011

Within cities of the developing world, the poor are typically the most vulnerable. They tend to live in slum/informal settlements, often located in areas most exposed to the effects of global climate change, notably low-lying areas, steep slopes, and ravines. Little or no infrastructure exists to provide protection from storm events or to ensure mobility. Reflecting the low and unstable incomes of the residents, but exacerbated by poor land tenure characteristics, little or no building regulation, and lack of housing finance, housing quality is low and provides poor resistance to natural disasters. The inherent vulnerability of these settlements is amplified as the effects of global climate change become more pronounced.