Panning for Climate Change: A Strategic, Value-based Approach for Urban Planners

Climate change is fast becoming one of the most significant challenges of the 21st century. While there may be uncertainty surrounding the scale, scope and pace of climate change, one thing is clear – cities and towns everywhere will be exposed to significant climate change-driven impacts. All of us will need to play a role in helping to adapt to these changes. It is also widely accepted that cities are major producers of the greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change. Hence, cities need to play their part in both reducing greenhouse gas emissions and increasing their resilience to climate-driven impacts. The United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT) developed this guide for city planners and other allied professionals to better understand, assess, and take action on climate change at the local level. While climate change is a global issue, this guide is specifically intended for urban communities in low and middle income countries where the challenges are unique and the human stakes of planning for climate change are particularly high. Adapting to new conditions brought