NYC Climate Action week presentation

Climate change is deepening existing inequalities in urban environments, particularly for people with disabilities. Despite 16% of global population is identified to have some form of disability, disability inclusion remains underrepresented in climate adaptation strategies, infrastructure planning, and service delivery in cities worldwide (World Bank, 2023).

Over the past four years, the Global Disability Innovation Hub (GDI Hub), through the AT2030 programme, has led participatory research across six cities: Ulaanbaatar (Mongolia), Varanasi (India), Surakarta (Indonesia), Freetown (Sierra Leone), Nairobi (Kenya), and Medellin (Colombia). This research revealed how urban infrastructure, and services enable or obstruct accessibility and inclusion for people with disabilities; and how climate risks pose serious threats to independent living and personal mobility.

As GDI Hub builds a robust evidence base at the intersection of inclusive infrastructure and climate action, this session will showcase the value of open dialogue and cross-sectoral collaboration for solving some of the wicked problems in urban development.