A growing number of cities are preparing for climate change impacts by
developing adaptation plans. However, little is known about how these plans
and their implementation affect the vulnerability of the urban poor. We
critically assess initiatives in eight cities worldwide and find that land use
planning for climate adaptation can exacerbate socio-spatial inequalities
across diverse developmental and environmental conditions. We argue that urban
adaptation injustices fall into two categories: acts of commission when
interventions negatively affect or displace poor communities and acts of
omission when they protect and prioritize elite groups at the expense of the
urban poor
