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Transformative adaptation needed to break cycles of inequitable urban flood management

Nature Water (2026)Cite this article

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Abstract

Urban water hazards, including floods, water scarcity and water contamination, are increasing due to climate change. Risks associated with urban flooding are shaped by past decisions, institutional forms of oppression, their legacies, and the interactions of these legacies with ongoing climate change. When legacies of oppression and the contemporary social landscape are not considered, technocratic adaptation measures perpetuate inequitable infrastructure investment and risk. Here we review the inequitable distribution of urban flood risks within and among cities, discussing the forces driving these inequities and why many adaptation measures to address flooding exacerbate environmental injustices. Transformative approaches for equitable adaptation include systemic changes to planning, governance, and adaptive management and funding, with an explicit focus on social justice to address the underlying causes of urban flood risks. Climate adaptation provides the opportunity not only to increase urban resilience to climate change, but also to address historic injustices.

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Fig. 1: Transformative adaptation is required to break away from reinforcing urban water hazards.
Fig. 2: Global distribution of flood urban risks.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by NSF awards 2333154 to R.L.H., 2015619 to K.A.C. and 1927167 to E.M.C. A portion of the salary of K.A.C. was supported by the Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management under award no. DE-EM0005228 to the University of Georgia Research Foundation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, Edgewater, MD, USA

    Rebecca L. Hale

  2. Odum School of Ecology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA

    Krista Capps

  3. Environmental Science Department, Barnard College, New York City, NY, USA

    Elizabeth M. Cook

  4. Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, Millbrook, NY, USA

    Elizabeth M. Cook

  5. Department of Geosciences, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA

    Rachel Scarlett

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  1. Rebecca L. Hale
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R.L.H., K.C., E.M.C. and R.S. contributed to conceptualization, writing, reviewing and editing.

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Correspondence to Rebecca L. Hale.

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Hale, R.L., Capps, K., Cook, E.M. et al. Transformative adaptation needed to break cycles of inequitable urban flood management. Nat Water (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s44221-025-00569-7

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