The European Environmental Agency (EEA) has recently published a report in which it analyses potential action which can be taken in order to adapt European cities to climate change.

On 4 May 2015, the European Concrete Platform responded to a questionnaire on adaptation to climate change. This questionnaire relates to the recently established European Committee for Standardisation (CEN) coordination group on adaptation to climate change (ACC-CG).

On 4 December 2015, the United Nations Habitat programme launched a publication entitled “Guiding Principles for Climate City Planning Action”.  This document reviews typical steps in the city-level climate action planning process in light of a proposed set of globally applicable principles. In accordance with these principles, the reports states that city climate action should be ambitious, inclusive, fair, comprehensive & integrated, relevant, actionable, evidence-based, transparent & verifiable.

Ahead of the World Economic Forum Annual meeting in Davos, the Global Risks 2015 Report was issued by the organisers. One of the chapters from the report is dedicated to the risks of rapid and unplanned urbanisation in developing countries. The report starts off by reminding us that, by 2050, city dwellers are expected to account for more than two-thirds of the world’s population. It emphasises that urbanisation can bring important benefits for development as cities are an efficient way of organizing people’s lives: they enable economies of scale and network effects, reduce the need for transportation and thereby make economic activity more environment-friendly. However, a large part of the chapter focuses on the need to manage risks in the face of four major challenges: infrastructure, health, climate change and social instability. The rapid expansion of cities, especially in developing countries, requires adequate global infrastructure and here the Report calls for public-private collaboration to involve the private sector in the design, construction and maintenance of infrastructure. It emphasises the negative effects of air pollution, mostly caused by cars, to health of citizens. The report also calls for leadership of the private sector with local governments which it considers at the heart of urban mitigation and adaptation to climate change.  Finally, the Report states that moving to a city offers individuals more opportunities and improves their living conditions but it also warns that the high costs of living and competition for livelihoods can trap people in poverty and lead to social instability.
As private actors that contribute to building the sustainable cities and infrastructure of tomorrow, we should not be deterred by these risks but consider them as an opportunity to engage on a scale which goes beyond the specific product we produce and makes us reach out to society at large.