Uccrn Education We are pleased to announce the publication of Planning, Urban Design, and Architecture for Climate Action, released online on 05th November 2025 by Cambridge University Press.This new volume is part of the Third Assessment Report on Climate Change and Cities (ARC3.3) of the Urban Climate Change Research Network (UCCRN) and is now available as open access on Cambridge Core.
Cities are central to global climate solutions. The transformation of the built environment must be systemic, inclusive, and science-informed. This publication offers a practical and analytical foundation for accelerating urban climate action while advancing equity and resilience.
By aligning design practice with climate science and community engagement, Planning, Urban Design, and Architecture for Climate Action serves as both a technical guide and a manifesto for transformative urban change.
List of Contents
Authors
The Element is authored by:
Jeffrey Raven, Mattia Federico Leone, Sanjukkta Bhaduri, Christian Braneon, David Corbett, David Driskell, Ursula Eicker, John E. Fernandez, Jing Gan, Anna Hürlimann, Ilana Judah, Michael Neuman, Barbara Norman, Dennis Pamlin, Chao Ren, Rob Roggema, Pourya Salehi, Anne Shellum, Andréa Souza Santos, Joel Towers, and Cristina Visconti.
This international team brings together expertise across planning, architecture, climate science, governance, infrastructure, and environmental justice.
About the Publication
Embedding climate-resilient development principles into planning, urban design, and architecture requires ensuring that transformation of the built environment simultaneously advances:
- Carbon neutrality
- Effective climate adaptation
- Human and ecological well-being
The authors call on planners, urban designers, and architects to bridge research and practice, expanding their agency and capacity to develop tools and methodologies that operate consistently across spatial scales, from buildings and neighborhoods to entire metropolitan regions.
A Multi-Scale, Action-Driven Framework
The Element proposes an innovative, action-oriented framework grounded in:
- Multi-scale analysis of urban climate factors
- Co-mapping, co-design, and co-evaluation with stakeholders
- Integration of mitigation and adaptation strategies
- Collaboration between scientists, designers, policymakers, and communities
It provides detailed analysis of how:
- Urban form and layout
- System efficiency
- Building envelopes and surface materials
- Green and blue infrastructure
directly influence key performance indicators such as:
- Greenhouse gas emissions
- Impacts of extreme weather events
- Spatial and environmental justice
- Human thermal comfort
Discover ARC3.3
Planning, Urban Design, and Architecture for Climate Action, released online on 05 November 2025 by Cambridge University Press.
This new volume is part of the Third Assessment Report on Climate Change and Cities (ARC3.3) of the Urban Climate Change Research Network (UCCRN) and is now available as open access on Cambridge Core.
