Climate change risk assessment: A holistic multi-stakeholder methodology for the sustainable development of cities: A holistic multi-stakeholder methodology for the sustainable development of cities

Cities are at risk due to global climate change, increasing both the frequency and the intensity of storms and extreme precipitation, sea-level rise, and other extreme weather events. Disaster risk reduction and adaptation to climate change should include a holistic and multi-scale perspective, to address the challenges of sustainable urban development and the conservation of the cultural value of our cities. In this research, an integral multi-stakeholder methodological approach is presented for risk assessment, supported by a data-collection and analysis strategy and a multi-scale urban model based on CityGML. A method of sampling buildings is presented together with the necessary data analysis, in order to perform the analysis at city scale. The methodology is implemented in Donostia- San Sebastián (northern Spain), a city located alongside a river estuary on the coastline. A sample of 2262 buildings are analyzed with varied characteristics at risk of extreme precipitation and/or storm surges and sea-level rise. The results demonstrated the effectiveness of the methodology at generating a unique risk index through a balance between the resources for data collection and the accuracy of the results, supported by a graphical 3D representation to facilitate results interpretation, and the subsequent evidence-based decision-making for prioritizing sustainable interventions.