Urban adaptation index: assessing cities readiness to deal with climate change

Eduardo Alves Neder (), Fabiano Araújo Moreira (), Michele Dalla Fontana (), Roger Rodrigues Torres (), David Montenegro Lapola (), Maria da Penha Costa Vasconcellos (), Ana Maria Barbieri Bedran-Martins (), Arlindo Philippi Junior (), Maria Carmen Lemos () and Gabriela Marques Di Giulio ()
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Eduardo Alves Neder: University of São Paulo (USP)
Fabiano Araújo Moreira: University of São Paulo (USP)
Michele Dalla Fontana: University of São Paulo (USP)
Roger Rodrigues Torres: Federal University of Itajubá
David Montenegro Lapola: University of Campinas
Maria da Penha Costa Vasconcellos: University of São Paulo (USP)
Ana Maria Barbieri Bedran-Martins: University of São Paulo (USP)
Arlindo Philippi Junior: University of São Paulo (USP)
Maria Carmen Lemos: University of Michigan
Gabriela Marques Di Giulio: University of São Paulo (USP)

Climatic Change, 2021, vol. 166, issue 1, No 16, 20 pages

Abstract: Abstract Worldwide cities are at the forefront of tackling climate change; however, it is not clear to what extent they are prepared for the challenge, particularly in the context of lower income countries, where the need for action is urgent. In this context, many of cities struggle to develop evidence-based approaches to assess their current and future capacity to deal with climate impacts and inform the design of policies to respond in the short/long term. Based both on extensive field research carried out in Brazilian cities and on urban adaptation literature, we develop and test the Urban Adaptation Index (UAI) that cities can use to assess their current adaptive capacity in a realistic/achievable way. The index includes 26 indicators and focuses on a set of public policies to support interventions connected to adaptation: housing, urban mobility, sustainable agriculture, environmental management, and climate impact response. To make the UAI more usable/accessible, we use empirical data that is publicly available, and develop an approach that can be implemented with resources already available in many Brazilian cities. We illustrate the UAI usability by applying the index to the 645 municipalities of the state of São Paulo. Results show that more than half of the municipalities present low UAI ratings; however, municipalities located in metropolitan regions, where the majority of the population live, tend to have higher ratings. Practitioners agreed on the value of the UAI as a tool to monitor the current situation and changes regarding local potential capacity to adapt to climate change.

Keywords: Climate change adaptation; Public policies; Sustainability; Index; Adaptive capacity (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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DOI: 10.1007/s10584-021-03113-0

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