Figure 1
Process for the selection of studies.
Table 1
Summary of themes in the literature review.
| SUBTHEMES | KEY INSIGHTS | REFERENCES |
|---|---|---|
| Uses and types of assessment approaches | ||
| Conceptual and analytical approaches for urban adaptation to compound hazards | Integrating social, ecological and technological dimensions reveals compound risks; systemic interactions and feedback loops are often overlooked in static models | Chang et al. (2021); Chondrogianni & Karatzas (2023); Coppola (2020); Hemmers et al. (2020); Karimi et al. (2018); Khromova et al. (2025); Manton (2010); Mishra et al. (2015); Palanikkumar et al. (2025); Van Westen (2013); Xoplaki et al. (2012) |
| Cross-scale analytical approaches to urban adaptation | City-scale frameworks (e.g. ARUP) provide holistic assessments, but overlook meso-scale dynamics; tools such as U-ADAPT! and ClimaWATCH bridge scales | Arup (2014); Batty (2019); De Wit et al. (2020); Dong et al. (2023); Haddad et al. (2022); Hao & Wang (2022); Keshaviah et al. (2025); Kumar et al. (2022); Lin et al. (2021); Ling (2022); Martín & Paneque (2022); Soomro et al. (2025); Yu & Fang (2023) |
| Interdisciplinary perspectives on adaptive mechanisms | Biological and design analogies, socio-ecological and environmental, infrastructural, economic and social systems to inform adaptive systems thinking | Javanroodi et al. (2023); Ling (2022); Pirasteh et al. (2024); Suleimany & Sulaimani (2025) |
| Empirical versus conceptual models of climate adaptation | Mixed-method approaches combine fieldwork, big data and simulations; empirical validation remains inconsistent | Bag et al. (2022); Connon (2019); Dodd et al. (2024); Lemos et al. (2016); Qudrat-Ullah (2025a); Ramadan et al. (2025); Ried (2021); Soomro et al. (2025) |
| Social vulnerability, community resilience and public health | Social capital, inequalities, perceptions and health shape adaptive capacity; social infrastructure enhances resilience | Adger (2010); Arvin et al. (2025); Connon (2019); Connon & Hall (2021); Dodd et al. (2024); Joshi et al. (2024); Kaloyan et al. (2023); Kirmayer et al. (2009); Lee (2014); Lin et al. (2021); Porter et al. (2014); Qi et al. (2024); Sonta & Jiang (2023); Taylor et al. (2014); Tenzing (2020); Venerandi et al. (2018) |
| Governance, policy and adaptive management | Adaptive governance frameworks address uncertainty: barriers to planned adaptation persist; behavioural science can inform climate policy | Coppola (2020); Kaloyan et al. (2023); Moser & Ekstrom (2010); Rijke et al. (2012); Suleimany & Sulaimani (2025); Urlainis et al. (2022); Wilhite et al. (2014) |
| Technological and infrastructural dimensions of climate adaptation | Internet of Things, social media, and smart tools aid monitoring and adaptation, but risk overreliance and neglect of social context | Bag et al. (2022); Collins et al. (2015); De Wit et al. (2020); Marvin et al. (2013); Otum Ume et al. (2020); Palanikkumar et al. (2025); Pirasteh et al. (2024); Ried (2021); Soomro et al. (2025); Terracciano & Han (2023); Wilhelmi & Hayden (2010) |
| Focus on risk areas | ||
| Urban climate resilience and vulnerability | Vulnerability is unevenly distributed across neighbourhoods; morphology, land use and governance strongly shape resilience outcomes | Arvin et al. (2025); González et al. (2021); Hao & Wang (2022); Javanroodi et al. (2023); Joshi et al. (2024); Kim et al. (2025); Lindley et al. (2006); Qudrat-Ullah (2025b); Ramadan et al. (2025); Venerandi et al. (2018); Wilhelmi & Hayden (2010) |
| Energy systems and resilient cooling | Multilayered resilience frameworks highlight cascading risks; hybrid passive–active cooling strategies enhance adaptive capacity | Al-Assaad et al. (2025); Charani Shandiz et al. (2020); Kumar et al. (2022); Zhang et al. (2021); Zhao et al. (2024) |
| Flood risk and water infrastructure resilience | Technical approaches dominate but often neglect governance and social dimensions; integrated tools (GIS, ML) improve mapping and prediction | Assad & Bouferguene (2022); Chen et al. (2015); Collins et al. (2015); Ramadan et al. (2025); Rasheed et al. (2024); Winter & Karvonen (2022) |
| Coastal resilience and sea-level rise | Hybrid and nature-based solutions combine ecological and engineering benefits; adaptation pathways needed for long-term management | Nicholls (2018); Palanikkumar et al. (2025); Unguendoli et al. (2023); Xu et al. (2025) |
| Forecasting, early warning and disaster communication | Forecasting and early warning systems require integration of technical models with social communication; social media is increasingly critical | Abdel-Mooty et al. (2021); Alexander & Tebaldi (2012); Astitha & Nikolopoulos (2023); Calovi et al. (2023); De Wit et al. (2020); Joshi et al. (2024); Liu et al. (2022); Manton (2010); Mishra et al. (2015); Suleimany & Sulaimani (2025); Travis (2013); Van Westen (2013); Xoplaki et al. (2012) |
Figure 2
Proposed analytical approach framing neighbourhoods as adaptive systems.