Global environmental change: Conceptualising the growing challenge for cities in poor countries

Author(s)
Parnell, S., Simon, D. and Vogel, C.
Publication language
English
Pages
13pp
Date published
30 Jul 2007
Publisher
Area
Type
Articles
Keywords
Environment & climate, Poverty, Urban

Ongoing urbanisation makes cities a key focus for global environmental change (GEC) research, creating an imperative for a new, city-scale, research agenda. The vulnerability of urban populations to the multiple stresses of GEC lies at the core of overlapping domains of knowledge that could be better integrated in advancing research. The urban development, global change and disasters literatures are fragmented and reveal fundamental cleavages over the role that government could play in mitigating vulnerability to multiple threats and challenges. Important empirical gaps exist, especially on cities of the South. While there are significant knowledge gaps and numerous tensions within and between schools of thought, this overview suggests useful entry points for framing an invigorated research agenda on urban GEC.