ABSTRACT
Rapid urbanization in Africa is a contested issue due to the unreliability of census data from the 1970s onwards (Pott 2012). However, in those countries where data support a description of rapidly urbanizing realities (Dewan and Yamaguchi 2009; Taubenbock et al. 2009; United Nations 2008), cities face high concentrations of people who depend heavily on infrastructure systems including energy, water, communication and transport (Angel et al. 2005; Crush et al. 2011). The available literature shows how this high concentration makes these people vulnerable to a multiplicity of stressors, including climate change (Brückner 2012; Fay and Opal 2000; 2011; Ligeti et al. 2007; Mirzaie et al. 2007; Poelhekke 2011; World Bank 2010). Differential access to secure infrastructure and decent housing makes the urban poor more vulnerable than others to climate and weather extremes, increasing their exposure to the impacts of climate change, such as increased frequency and intensity of extreme climatic events, flooding from the projected rise in sea level, and water shortages (Ligeti et al. 2007; Heinrichs et al. 2011; World Bank 2010).
