Urban Planning Between Urban Expansion Pressures and Climate Change Risks Towards an Urban Sociology Perspective

Abstract

Urban areas are undergoing rapid transformation due to urban expansion, demographic growth, and climate change, generating increasingly complex social, spatial, and environmental challenges. These impacts are unevenly distributed, disproportionately affecting vulnerable populations and marginalized neighborhoods because of inequalities in access to infrastructure, services, and adaptive capacities. This study analyzes the relationship between urban expansion and climate change from an urban sociology perspective, focusing on the role of urban planning in reducing social and spatial inequalities and promoting urban justice, resilience, and sustainability. Adopting a theoretical and analytical approach based on relevant literature, the study argues that urban planning is not merely a technical mechanism for regulating land use but also a social process that shapes the distribution of resources and services and patterns of inclusion and exclusion within cities. The study is structured around three main axes: (1) contemporary urbanization and the pressures of urban expansion, (2) climate change and urban risk susceptibility, and (3) urban planning as a tool for resilience and justice. It therefore calls for integrated and participatory planning approaches that place vulnerable groups at the center of urban policies.