2 ■ CITIES AND CLIMATE CHANGE
growth and development benefi ts of urbanization while proactively managing
its negative eff ects.
Cities concentrate wealth, people, and productivity, but they also concen-
trate vulnerability to natural disasters and to long-term changes in climate. Ris-
ing sea levels will aff ect millions of people living in coastal cities. Similarly,
migration, changes in land use, and spatial development are likely to increase
the vulnerability of populations to changes in weather and climatic conditions.
Adaptation to climate change is therefore an imperative for cities, as it is for the
world at large. Th e urgency of this challenge is also evident when considering
the massive investments in buildings and infrastructure that cities in develop-
ing countries will undertake in the coming years, which will lock in urban form
and structure for many decades thereaft er.
The 5th Urban Research Symposium
Th e links between cities and climate change were the subject of the 5th Urban
Research Symposium held in Marseille in June 2009. Under the main theme,
Cities and Climate Change—Responding to an Urgent Agenda, the symposium
aimed to advance the state of knowledge on cities and climate change from an
applied research perspective. Attended by more than 700 people from more
than 70 countries, the symposium featured eight teams of commissioned
researchers and approximately 200 research papers selected from more than
500 initial proposals. Th e symposium was a groundbreaking event, given its
scale and its focus on cities and climate change.
Th e symposium’s research topics were organized around fi ve clusters. Th e
fi rst dealt with models and indicators to measure impact and performance of
cities. Th e complexity that characterizes climate change at the global level
is heightened at the city level by the need to defi ne boundaries, to identify
consumers and producers, and to understand intercity fl ows. Th is is also the
area where progress has been the most visible, with international partner-
ships and committed local governments working together to harmonize con-
cepts and improve data collection. In turn, the increased availability of data
and indicators stimulates research to test and apply global models at the
city level.
Th e second cluster focused on infrastructure, the built environment, and
energy effi ciency. Th is area received the largest number of papers, covering issues
from urban heat islands to urban transport policies and energy conservation.
Th e insights from this cluster are important given the massive investments
that cities in the developing world are expected to make in coming decades.
Cities are also eager to share progress and discuss solutions that have worked