Our cities – housing more than half of humanity and responsible for over 70 percent of carbon gas emissions – are increasingly exposed to the effects of climate change including extreme weather, water stress, air pollution, urban heat island effect and sea level rise. Lower-income urban residents feel these effects the most as they often live in poorly constructed structures in more marginal or exposed areas with weaker services and infrastructure.

We must adapt the way our urban areas are planned and managed and look at how cities can be drivers of innovation for climate-proof development through efficient planning and green infrastructure.

The Aga Khan Agency for Habitat has created this toolkit to guide practitioners through an evidence-based approach to assess hotspots in different urban contexts and develop nature-based solutions to protect and restore their ecosystems sustainably. It will hopefully be used widely to experiment with and scale innovations for a greener urban way of life.