Vulnerable urban areas and adaptability: The case of Rabat

Abstract

Today's urban players are faced with the challenges of mitigating climate change and adapting to its effects in the short, medium and long term. This involves, on the one hand, efforts to limit energy consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and on the other, strategies to reduce the vulnerability of urban areas to the climatic effects that create potential risks. Furthermore, cities are particularly vulnerable to the risk of heatwaves due to the existence of an urban heat island, which is responsible for a rise in temperature in the urban area compared with the surrounding countryside. In this respect, the integration of energy and climate issues into local and regional public policies and, more generally, into the legislative framework represents a major challenge for the success of national climate policy. In this context,this article focuses on analyzing and assessing the vulnerability and adaptability of urban areas to the impacts of climate change on their subsistence activities. The study took place in the Rabat region of Morocco.