ABSTRACT
Climate change poses an ever-growing threat to human life as we know it. The planet is warming, changing, and in some cases becoming unrecognizable. Urban areas, wherein a majority of the global population dwells, are particularly vulnerable to a myriad of climate stressors, the effects of which may be moderated by socio-political decision-making processes. Like other complex problems that transcend geopolitical and singular technological solutions, climate change cannot be solved by a single discipline, sector, or agency alone, but demands coordinated action. This chapter positions cross-sectoral collaboration as a means of understanding and equitably responding to climate change and establishes the conceptual foundations of one arguably essential type: collaborations between climate change researchers and those practitioners actively applying research findings to local adaptation projects. The chapter highlights some notable examples and gaps in understanding and offers an overview of subsequent case study chapters. The functional dynamics of researcher–practitioner collaboration, the importance of centering equity and justice within adaptation plans, and the observed impact of collaborations on climate action are raised as issues worthy of future study.
