Special Issue "Climate-Sensitive Urbanism: Extreme Weather, Urban Adaptation and Mitigation"

Dear Colleagues,

Cities globally are facing an increasing number of heatwaves, extreme rainfall, and droughts under climate change. Urban heat islands and other urban-induced feedbacks exacerbate these extreme weather events, leading to urban heat stress, flooding and water shortages. Expanding urban areas are also hot spots of greenhouse gas emissions. Hence, they drive climate extremes, both globally and locally, affecting economies, ecosystems, and society at large. However, through climate mitigation and adaptation cities are also playing a central role in the pursuit of the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Climate Agreement.

The Special Issue considers research on climate-sensitive urbanism attenuating the emerging weather extremes and impacts at global to urban scales. This includes (1) urban mitigation measures (eg., building insulation) lowering citizens’ carbon footprints, and (2) adaptation measures (eg., vegetation) offsetting the urban amplification of extremes in different environments. Studies supporting policymaking through assessments of real-life urban planning are encouraged. Priority is given to under-studied areas of the rapidly urbanizing developing world. This issue aims at fostering evidence-based pathways to sustainable climate-sensitive urbanism.

• urban climate
• urbanism
• urbanization
• weather extremes
• climate change

Planned Paper Title: Sustainable adaptation and mitigation in cities and regions: Review of modeling tools

Type of Paper: Review

Authors: Natali Hritonenko, Yuri Yatsenko

Author Affiliations: Prairie View A&M University, Houston Baptist University, USA

Abstract:

Pollution mitigation and environmental adaptation are two major strategies to fight for environmental sustainability. Both adaptation and mitigation measures require enormous investment, meticulous data assessment, and careful planning. Most of the related research focuses on coordinating adaptation and mitigation policies at global international scale. However, a variety of adaptation and mitigation actions occurs at local and regional levels. Such actions are usually managed by a single decision-making entity though some coordination with other regions is also required. This paper provides a systematic comprehensive review of various modeling and decision-support tools used to justify the rational choice of adaptation and mitigation activities at different economic and geographic scales. It focuses on middle level management policies relevant to large cities and regions. Such decisions heavily depend on the economy, geography, and other specifics of the city under study. The review surveys major publications in this area and includes an overview of adaptation and mitigation activities at regional and local levels, the classification and taxonomy of models, their advantages and limitations, logistics and data support. Both qualitative and quantitative (aka integrated assessment) models are discussed. Dependence of obtained outcomes and policy implications on modeling assumptions and tools is thoughtfully analyzed.