Urban Setup in Developing Countries and Equal Rights

• In Event: Poster Session

Abstract

The “urban heat island effect” demonstrates that average annual temperatures are 1-7°F higher in cities than surrounding suburban and rural areas (University of Michigan, 2021). This can mean that urban areas experience greater effects of climate change including droughts, less water availability, extreme precipitation (especially in more tropical areas), huge losses on biodiversity and ecosystems such as loss of species and extinction, rising sea levels, and even biome shifts (Buis, 2019). Urban areas in developing countries have the fewest resources to confront climate change and may be hit the hardest due to their disproportionate proximity to tropical areas/the equator. Meanwhile, the level of urbanization in developing countries is expected to increase to 56.9% by 2025 (Harphan, Stephens, 1991). This paper defines urban areas as human-environment systems that depend fundamentally on ecosystems (Luederitz et al., 2015). With climate change, these delicate ecosystems will be interrupted, and innovative solutions are needed to redesign them. For this paper, I will review academic literature related to urban design in developing countries in the face of climate change.

Author

• Emma Kim, St. Margaret's Episcopal School