Do we know how urban heritage is being endangered by climate change? A systematic and critical review

It is worldwide accepted that climate change is affecting cities and that the conservation of the cultural heritage contributes to sustainable development. However, despite the high level of interest and research in climate change risks on socioeconomic, urban and natural systems, studies that assess climate change impacts on urban cultural heritage and contribute to a holistic understanding on the subject present noticeable gaps in knowledge. A systematic review and meta-analysis was carried out to assess the state -of-the-art of cultural heritage risk assessment methodologies within urban systems in the context of climate change, specifically historic urban areas. For this purpose, a systematic search was applied using Web of Science and Scopus. The search identified and characterized existing methodologies on vulnerability and risk assessment for cultural heritage in a changing climate following the PRISMA protocol, and it synthesized knowledge gaps to be addressed in the near future. This study aims to bring risk assessment methodologies closer to urban planners for more efficient climate change adaptation policies. The research concluded that there is an unbalance between the amount of methodologies for the different climate change derived hazards and their impacts on historic urban areas. The amount of methodologies focused on flooding highlights that further research is needed for other relevant hazards, like heat and cold waves, that contribute to a holistic perspective.

Automated summary

The study found an imbalance in methodologies assessing the impacts of climate change on urban cultural heritage, emphasizing the need for further research on other relevant hazards, such as heat waves and cold spells, to provide a more holistic perspective.