ABSTRACT
Global survey of climate change adaptation in US cities found that over half are planning for climate change. It illustrates that the more disbursed nature of US governance creates a more heterogeneous response, whereby individual cities are "leading the way" when it comes to climate change planning. The chapter focuses on the literature on urban adaptive capacity by using logistic regression to assess the importance of different indicators of adaptive capacity. It draws on the responses from 156 US cities that participated in a 2011 global survey of climate adaptation planning, 60% of which have begun adaptation planning. Climate adaptation planning helps cities identify specific climate impacts, develop options for responding to these impacts, and mobilize the resources to implement these options. The chapter demonstrates the degree to which strong political leadership, high municipal expenditures, and perceptions that the climate is already changing are associated with adaptation planning among environmentally progressive cities.
