Mainstreaming Climate Change Adaptation in African Cities

Global South Cities are experiencing an increasing frequency of extreme climate change events that have significant implications and pose a serious challenge for policymakers to build resilient urban societies. In Africa, considerable effort has been invested in building a climate-resilient society. This study assessed current urban planning and development practices at the city level and evaluated their effectiveness in mainstreaming adaptation strategies to climate change.

Some of the key recommendations include:

1. National, regional, and local plans should include explicit consideration of climate change impacts and should establish comprehensive risk assessments and climate adaptation strategies that are flexible and adaptable.

2. Capacity-building programs and training should be established to improve climate change awareness and analysis among urban planning practitioners, policymakers, and the general public.

3. Coordination and cooperation between different stakeholders should be strengthened to ensure the effective implementation of climate change adaptation policies and plans.

4. Urban planning strategies should be climate-proofed with short and long-term climate scenarios to identify areas for improvement and to promote evidence-based decision-making.

5. To finance climate change projects, urban authorities should actively seek out and utilize financial resources from international and national funding mechanisms.

6. The involvement of the private sector in climate change adaptation initiatives should be encouraged, through public-private partnerships and incentives for environmentally sustainable practices.

Full paper available at https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0169204624000173