Inclusive urbanization in the age of climate change: Key conclusions and way forward

As the majority of the people on Earth now live in urban areas, human society faces two fundamental challenges: escalating social exclusion on the one hand and increased vulnerability to changing climate, on the other. Half of the world’s population already lives in the urban areas and, by 2030, all developing countries will also become predominantly urban (UN-HABITAT, 2010). Against this backdrop, this book has shown that social exclusion is widespread in urban regions in south Asia, a scenario that is also found in other parts of the world. In addition, as has been demonstrated by various authors in this book, climate change is exacerbating exclusion. As editors of the book, we are glad to have been able to engage some of the foremost authorities in urban development and environmental policies to contribute to this book. The majority of the contributors are researchers and activists who are engaged in particular contexts—mostly South Asia—on various aspects of policy, practice and critical knowledge development. The chapters encapsulate action-verified lessons and accumulated insights, which the authors have gained through their long-standing research and engagement in the specific issues and contexts. The book has thus been able to showcase cutting-edge ideas, innovations, fundamental issues and the way forward in relation to enhancing inclusion in the rapidly urbanizing regions of the global south, with particular reference to the challenge of climate change.