Embedding climate change resilience in coastal city planning: Early lessons from Cartagena de Indias, Colombia

This briefing describes the development of the 'Guidelines for Adaptation to Climate Change in Cartagena de Indias', the first such document for a coastal city in South America. The guidelines provide a vulnerability assessment and adaptation recommendations to address sea level rise, extreme weather, and flooding, serving as a foundation for future municipal zoning policies and a full adaptation plan.

• Cartagena de Indias has produced the 'Guidelines for Adaptation to Climate Change', making it the first coastal city in South America to do so. These guidelines assess vulnerability and recommend adaptation measures to support socioeconomic development, specifically addressing risks such as sea level rises, extreme weather, flooding, and health and disease.
• The guidelines are intended to serve as the basis for subsequent municipal planning efforts, including the creation of zoning policies and a comprehensive climate change adaptation plan.
• The Colombian government is monitoring Cartagena's process, as it is expected to influence the implementation of the National Adaptation Plan and the approach taken by other coastal towns and cities across Colombia.

APA

Climate and Development Knowledge Network (2013). Embedding climate change resilience in coastal city planning: Early lessons from Cartagena de Indias, Colombia. https://cdkn.org/resource/embedding-climate-change-resilience-in-coastal-city-planning-early-lessons-from-cartagena-de-indias-colombia

Chicago

Climate and Development Knowledge Network. Embedding climate change resilience in coastal city planning: Early lessons from Cartagena de Indias, Colombia. 2013. https://cdkn.org/resource/embedding-climate-change-resilience-in-coastal-city-planning-early-lessons-from-cartagena-de-indias-colombia.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Climate and Development Knowledge Network |title=Embedding climate change resilience in coastal city planning: Early lessons from Cartagena de Indias, Colombia |date=23 February 2013 |url=https://cdkn.org/resource/embedding-climate-change-resilience-in-coastal-city-planning-early-lessons-from-cartagena-de-indias-colombia |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{climateanddevelopmentknowledgenetwork2013embedding, author = {{Climate and Development Knowledge Network}}, title = {{Embedding climate change resilience in coastal city planning: Early lessons from Cartagena de Indias, Colombia}}, institution = {Climate and Development Knowledge Network}, year = {2013}, month = feb, url = {https://cdkn.org/resource/embedding-climate-change-resilience-in-coastal-city-planning-early-lessons-from-cartagena-de-indias-colombia}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }