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Urban Growth - Climate Change
problems in cities in the fields of education, infrastructure and residences.
It is stated that to maintain urban sustainability, urban growth should be
taken under control and the effects of climate change should be mitigated.
Moreover, it is noted that projects serving as urban labs must be promoted
(Çolakoğlu, 2019: 6).
Policies
It is mentioned above that urban growth dynamics trigger climate change. It
is emphasized that with the increase in world population, the effects of climate
change on urbanized areas are felt more intensely (De Sherbinin et al, 2007:
53; Revi, 2008: 214; UN-HABITAT, 2011: 11). Examples to such effects include
urban heat island effect, rise in sea levels, overflows, and extreme weather
conditions. To illustrate, due to dense population, economic activities and high
amount of energy consumption, major cities are exposed to anthropogenic
heat emission, which is shown as one reason why the effects of regional/global
climate change are more visible (UN-HABITAT, 2011: 11). Moreover, horizontal
expansion and urban expansion, which increase vulnerability to climate
change, are considered factors among urban growth dynamics (Rosenzweig
et al, 2011: 5; Solecki et al, 2006:14). For this reason, it has become essential
to investigate the relationship between climate change and urban growth
dynamics. To this end, there are institutes and establishments which try to
manage the effects of climate change through developing climate change
adaptation strategies, and thus, guiding urban growth and producing policies
against urban growth dynamics. The main examples to these institutions are
as follows:
• UN-Habitat United Nations Human Settlements Programme
• UNDP (United Nations Development Program)
• EC (European Commission ),
• IIED (International Institute for Environment and Development)
• IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change)
• OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development)
The institutions above not only develop climate change adaptation/
mitigation strategies, but also explain how urban growth affects climate
change and climate change adaptation. In order to reveal the relationship
between issues on a global application level, the policies on climate change
adaptation must be explained in the context of urban growth. In 2016,
“Addressing Climate Change in National Urban Policy” was prepared. This
report mentions the difficulties in urbanization and the growth opportunities
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