A review of urban resilience to weather and climate extremes

Abstract

Urban areas are increasingly vulnerable to extreme weather and climate events, a risk amplified by rapid urbanization and climate change. As hubs of economic and social activities, cities face escalating threats from heatwaves, floods, storms, and air quality degradation, with implications for public health and safety as well as long-term sustainability. This review synthesizes current understanding of urban vulnerability and resilience to climate extremes, emphasizing the interactions among physical infrastructure, socioeconomic conditions, and governance systems that shape a city’s capacity to withstand and recover from disruptions. Key barriers to resilience include inadequate infrastructure adaptation, the growth of vulnerable informal settlements, limited financial resources, and fragmented policy implementation across governance levels. Importantly, challenges manifest differently across regions: while Global South cities grapple with rapid expansion, informal settlements, and constrained fiscal and institutional capacity, Global North cities contend with aging, interdependent infrastructure systems, and the political complexities of retrofits and managed retreat. Critical strategies to address these challenges involve advancing climate-resilient infrastructure that integrates engineered systems with nature-based solutions, strengthening governance frameworks that prioritize equity and community engagement, leveraging technological innovations such as smart city systems and predictive analytics, and ensuring equitable access to adaptation measures for marginalized populations. Prioritizing these interlinked elements through coordinated action across multiple scales and sectors is critical for fostering resilient, equitable, and sustainable cities capable of withstanding and adapting to increasingly frequent and severe climate extremes in an uncertain future.