Making cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable is now a global goal following the adoption of the post-2015 development agenda in New York in September. Achieving this target –sustainable development goal 11 – is vital because, for the first time in our history, more people live in cities than live in the countryside. And it is urgent because a third of the urban population lives in slums, mostly located on hazardous land, with poor access to basic services, and few opportunities to earn a decent living.

The Overseas Development Institute is looking at practical examples from around the world, and its initial research shows that seven actions are key in helping towns and cities deal with climate change:

1. The right information and knowledge is crucial.

2. Knowledge must be fed into comprehensive urban planning processes.

3. Transport, energy, telecommunications, water and sanitation sectors must be geared to function during disasters.

4. City authorities must have the right training and skills.

5. In the case of extreme “outlier” events that occur once every 200 years or so, city residents must be able to fend for themselves.

6. Local businesses must be involved, as they lead urban expansion across the global south.

7. Attracting finance for urban resilience is vitally important. 

*) Dr Aditya V Bahadur is a Research Associate at the Overseas Development Institute. He is the lead author of a forthcoming ODI report, The State of Practical Knowledge on Enhancing Urban Climate Change Resilience: Seven Entry Points for Action

The full article was originally posted by The Guardian. To read full article, please go to this link.