Flooded Streets, Broken Systems: Why Urban Mobility Must Adapt to Survive

By the close of the first trimester of 2025, the world has already experienced a sharp escalation in extreme weather events—especially floods and heatwaves—that have upended lives, strained economies, and damaged infrastructure across Asia, Africa, and Latin America. These early months have been marked by a cascade of climate-related disasters across multiple continents, offering a sobering glimpse into the accelerating impacts of global warming and the mounting complexity of managing compound climate risks.

In January, Tropical Cyclone Dikeledi unleashed its fury on the south-western Indian Ocean. Making landfall across Madagascar, Mayotte, and Mozambique, the storm left a trail of destruction in its wake. At least nine people lost their lives, thousands were forced from their homes, and critical infrastructure was left in ruins- a testament to the region’s vulnerability in the face of such powerful natural forces.

In mid-February, southern Botswana and eastern South Africa were battered by heavy rainfall that led to widespread flooding. The disaster claimed at least 31 lives and laid bare the systemic weaknesses in local flood management and preparedness, reigniting urgent calls for improved infrastructure and risk mitigation strategies.

In early March, the Argentine city of Bahía Blanca reeled from a rare and brutal sequence of back-to-back climate extremes- scorching heat followed almost immediately by sudden flash floods. This jarring contrast of extremes, both made more likely by the shifting climate, offered a grim reminder of the increasing complexity of weather-related disaster management in urban settings.

April brought further tragedy to central Africa. In Kinshasa, capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, relentless rains triggered severe flooding that killed 33 people and displaced countless more. Streets turned into rivers, transport ground to a halt, and the city’s vital informal transit systems were paralysed. The crisis highlighted the pressing need for more climate-resilient urban planning and investment in adaptable infrastructure.

Meanwhile, Central Asia faced an entirely different kind of crisis. In March, an unprecedented heatwave gripped the region, with temperatures soaring to record levels—30.8°C in Jalalabad, Kyrgyzstan, and 29.4°C in Namangan, Uzbekistan. These extremes pushed the boundaries of seasonal norms and served as yet another indicator of the mounting pressures climate change places on ecosystems and societies.

These events are no longer isolated anomalies, but part of a rising trend linked to human-induced climate change, which is becoming increasingly challenging to manage without systemic, long-term adaptation.

Adaptation: From Awareness to Action

While climate change knows no boundaries, cities still hold the tools to lead transformative adaptation. The aforementioned climate incidents, spread across vastly different geographies, point to a shared reality: urban infrastructure is alarmingly vulnerable to climate extremes. 

This is particularly visible in cities of the Global South, where rapid urbanisation outpaces resilient planning, and cities are hotspots of inequality, environmental degradation, and exposure to climate risks, ranging from poor air quality and water stress to biodiversity loss and displacement. 

The World Bank's 2023 report “Thriving: Making Cities Green, Resilient, and Inclusive in a Changing Climate” underscores that climate change and the degradation of natural capital are intertwined, and that cities must now lead the way in developing inclusive, green, and resilient solutions. MobiliseYourCity offers two critical resources to support this journey:
1. Nine Principles for Effective Adaptation of Urban Mobility and the Built Environment
This publication outlines clear principles for designing transport systems and urban spaces that can withstand climate extremes. These principles emphasise flexibility, equity, ecosystem integration, and cross-sector coordination.

2. Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans (SUMPs) – A Guide to Implementation
This guide provides a practical framework for integrating climate adaptation into urban mobility strategies. It encourages participatory planning, multimodal integration, and forward-looking investments that reduce vulnerability while promoting sustainable access for all.

The two publications are grounded in real-world challenges and offer a clear pathway toward resilient urban futures to respond to what 2025 has already taught us: resilience cannot wait anymore, adaptation is no longer optional for cities in the Global South- it is foundational for survival, prosperity, and justice in a rapidly warming world.