An Integrated Study of Climate Change Impacts on Urban Infrastructure

  • Authors

    • Dr. Valentine University of Chile, Chile. Author
    • Ruban Riguel Roger University of Chile, Chile. Author

    Published 2026-01-06

  • Climate Change, Urban Infrastructure, Resilience Assessment, Coastal Flooding, Stormwater Management, GIS Mapping, Adaptation Strategies, Vulnerability Analysis

    Issue

    Vol. 1 No. 1 (2026)

    Section

    Articles

    How to Cite

    [1]
    Valentine and R. R. Roger, “An Integrated Study of Climate Change Impacts on Urban Infrastructure”, IJETMR, vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 31–45, Jan. 2026, Accessed: Mar. 02, 2026. [Online]. Available: https://worldcometresearchgroup.com/index.php/ijetmr/article/view/88

  • Abstract

    Climate change poses a critical threat to urban infrastructure systems, including transportation, water supply, drainage, energy, and public services. Rapid urbanization and industrialization have increased cities’ vulnerability to climate-induced stresses such as heat waves, extreme rainfall, sea-level rise, and storm surges, exposing the limitations of infrastructure designed under historical climate assumptions. This study presents an integrated assessment of climate change impacts on urban infrastructure using interdisciplinary tools such as hydrological modeling, GIS-based risk mapping, socio-economic vulnerability analysis, and infrastructure performance evaluation. The research combines climate data with engineering and urban analytics to develop a resilience index for prioritizing adaptation strategies across key sectors. Results indicate that aging infrastructure and inadequate adaptation planning significantly amplify climate risks, with extreme rainfall exceeding design capacity by 10–15% causing severe flooding, and pavement temperatures above 45 °C reducing service life by nearly 30%. The study highlights cascading infrastructure failures and recommends climate-resilient design, nature-based solutions, and smart governance frameworks to support sustainable and climate-proof urban development.

  • References

    [1] A. Smith, R. Johnson, and P. Turner, “Thermal distress modelling for asphalt pavements under extreme heatwaves,” J. Transp. Eng., vol. 147, no. 6, pp. 1–12, 2021.

    [2] Y. Chen, L. Wu, and S. Gupta, “Hydrodynamic modelling of urban water networks exposed to pluvial flooding,” Water Resour. Manage., vol. 34, no. 9, pp. 2765–2781, 2020.

    [3] K. Miller, D. Brown, and F. Lopez, “Electric grid reliability assessment under storm-induced disruptions,” Energy Policy, vol. 158, pp. 112–124, 2022.

    [4] C. Rosenzweig et al., “Climate change and cities: Next steps for urban resilience,” Nature Climate Change, vol. 8, pp. 572–580, 2018.

    [5] Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), “AR6: Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability,” IPCC, Geneva, Switzerland, 2022.

    [6] A. M. Sharma and P. Das, “GIS-based hazard exposure evaluation for flood-prone urban corridors,” Int. J. Disaster Risk Reduct., vol. 43, pp. 101415, 2020.

    [7] S. F. Nabavi and B. H. Lee, “Urban heat island effects on transportation infrastructures: A review,” Sustain. Cities Soc., vol. 65, pp. 102–126, 2021.

    [8] R. Martins et al., “Multi-criteria decision analysis for climate-resilient infrastructure planning,” J. Environ. Manage., vol. 296, pp. 113–128, 2021.

    [9] J. M. Pereira and E. Santos, “Socio-economic dimensions in climate vulnerability assessment,” Climate Risk Manage., vol. 32, pp. 100287, 2021.

    [10] L. Zhang and H. Wang, “Life-cycle sustainability evaluation of road structures under changing climate patterns,” Constr. Build. Mater., vol. 280, pp. 122–134, 2021.

    [11] United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), Enhancing Urban Resilience: Integrated Approaches, UN-Habitat, Nairobi, Kenya, 2019.

    [12] P. Doll et al., “Cascading failures in interdependent urban infrastructures: A critical review,” Global Environ. Change, vol. 69, pp. 102–115, 2021.

    [13] H. O. Pizarro and A. Anderson, “Decision-support tools for adaptive infrastructure planning in smart cities,” IEEE Smart Cities, vol. 4, no. 3, pp. 112–124, 2022.

    [14] G. R. Wilbanks, “Infrastructure resilience metrics and integrated risk indicators,” Reliab. Eng. Syst. Saf., vol. 217, pp. 107–118, 2022.

    [15] S. M. Rahman, “Modelling interdependencies and cascading climate impacts on urban systems,” Urban Climate, vol. 46, pp. 101282, 2023.

  • Downloads

    • ga