Urban Climate Resilience: Global Experiences and Local Actions

The Global Center on Adaptation (GCA) and the Bangladesh Institute of Planners (BIP) are co-convening a knowledge exchange event to foster knowledge sharing on urban resilience among urban practitioners, city-level decision-makers and local implementers.

Event description:

Cities are increasingly vulnerable to climate change. As the impacts of climate change intensify, a larger number of people, assets and livelihoods are exposed to higher temperatures, sea level rise and more frequent and intense disaster events such as flooding and landslides. Furthermore, frequent and intensified climatic hazards are also predicted to trigger rural to urban migration straining existing utilities and services in cities.
 
Bangladesh has been experiencing rapid urbanization over the past three decades. According to the 2011 census, the share of the population living in urban areas was ~28 %. By 2035 the majority of the population is predicted to be living in urban areas. The World Bank projects that by 2050 up to 13.3 million people in Bangladesh could be internally displaced by climate change.
 
Considering Bangladesh’s vulnerability to climatic impacts and rapid urbanization, the need for urban areas in Bangladesh to adapt to climate change and to enhance resilience is urgent. This requires a comprehensive understanding of current and future risks as well as a shift in urban planning approaches including an emphasis on acquiring and analyzing data, engaging with informality, delivering financing, and increasing the skills of urban practitioners and decision makers.
 
Given this context, the Global Center on Adaptation (GCA) and the Bangladesh Institute of Planners (BIP) are co-convening a knowledge exchange event focusing on the opportunities and challenges of enhancing climate resilience in Bangladesh.

The overall outcome of the planned event is to foster knowledge sharing on urban resilience among urban practitioners, city-level decision-makers and local implementers. More specifically, the exchange aims to result in:

• Enhanced insights on urban resilience, drawing on initiatives around the world to critically examine the benefits, challenges, and opportunities of building resilience in cities, particularly those in the Global South.
• Increased insights on actions that can be undertaken by cities and national governments to drive the local implementation of resilience-building strategies locally.  
• Increased awareness and knowledge among planners and managers of urban planning and design strategies to reduce risks and vulnerabilities and build resilience.