ABSTRACT
Cities are the global future, with more population projected to reside in urban areas in the coming decades. By 2050, 70% of the world’s population is expected to be living in urban areas. These cities, which are considered as the economic engines of the global world, centers of commerce, culture, and innovation, are causing an extensive imbalance in the natural ecosystem through increased consumption of resources, be it food, energy, water, or land. This has aggravated the issue of sprawl in urban areas leading to an increase in ecological footprints and development in eco-sensitive areas. Resultant is climate change which is prominently evident these days as common man is also experiencing weather irregularities. Today, we witness frequent forest fires, flash floods, extensive snowfall, cyclones, heat waves, droughts, heavy downpours, and coastal flooding. In developing countries like India, where the population is huge, the feeble governance authorities are finding it difficult to attain a balance in the vicious cycle of climate change and urbanization as one is constantly impacting the other. People at large are now becoming sensitized towards this issue but still there is a long road ahead to be travelled to achieve adaptation and work towards mitigation. New development strategies clubbed with climate-sensitive policies and guidelines are on their way to achieve resilience. Today efforts are being made to push development towards sustainability. Focus has shifted towards the new future cities which would be a complete package of sustainability and improved quality of life for its people. This study explores recent research on the connections between urbanization, vulnerability, and climate change to trace the path of shift in the area of interest of the researcher as per the changing needs and upcoming challenges. The paper also looks at present gaps in scientific understanding and outlines new paths of research that could be explored further to address the vicious cycle.
