Green cities, hard choices: The dilemmas of urban climate action

As temperatures rise, urban heat, extreme rainfall, and health risks increase, while space, resources, and political attention remain limited. Urban greening is often presented as a win–win solution but in practice it raises hard dilemmas: between trees and transport, density and green space, climate resilience and social equity. This session focuses on these dilemmas. Rather than asking what cities should do in general, we ask how research can help cities navigate trade-offs and make evidence-based planning decisions that are both climate-resilient and socially inclusive.