Author(s)

Jingzhe Yang ¹

Affiliation(s)

¹ University of Manchester, Manchester, UK, M13 9PL

Corresponding Author

Jingzhe Yang

ABSTRACT

Urban resilience has become a dominant response to climate change, yet its implementation often deepens existing social inequalities. This paper critically examines how technical resilience policies, while aiming to reduce climate risks, tend to prioritize economically valuable areas and neglect marginalized communities. Drawing on political ecology and climate justice frameworks, it analyzes two cases—New York's "Big U" flood control system and redevelopment in Mumbai's informal settlements. The findings reveal that resilience planning frequently serves elite interests, disguising power imbalances under the guise of neutral technical solutions. Such depoliticized narratives obscure the exclusion of vulnerable groups and reinforce spatial and social segregation. The study argues that meaningful urban resilience must go beyond infrastructure and risk reduction to address structural inequalities. It calls for a transformative approach that includes redefining resilience goals, empowering community participation, and ensuring fair resource allocation to achieve both climate adaptation and social justice.

KEYWORDS

Urban Resilience, Climate Justice, Social Inequality, Resource Allocation, Depoliticization

CITE THIS PAPER

Jingzhe Yang, Urban Resilience and Inequality: Rethinking Strategies for Climate Justice. Journal of Civil Engineering and Urban Planning (2025) Vol. 7: 141-145. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.23977/jceup.2025.070219.

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