Author Description

Over the years, the UGEC project has placed attention on creating capabilities among young scholars and practitioners offering opportunities for networking, collaboration and publication, and has organized several training workshops with other international organizations towards these efforts. The bi-annual Viewpoints publication has always been an avenue through which our colleagues working and doing research in the field of urbanization and global environmental change are able to showcase their expertise to the international community, and discuss key issues and gaps in knowledge critical for moving forward. This particular issue is no exception, but more so, highlights research from emerging scholars within the UGEC network. It seems most appropriate at this stage of the project to transition the focus of the Viewpoints towards our future scholars. Herein, you will read articles highlighting urban adaptation responses and pathways for developing adaptation planning approaches and agendas (H. Leck, and A. Kingsborough); urbanization impacts on wetland areas and potential responses (Y. Cai & X. Wang, and N. Bateganya et al.); the threat of urban sprawl to biodiversity and the importance of sustaining urban ecosystem services (M. Mandemaker et al., and N. Soonsawad); sustainable urban growth and transformation in arid Egypt (A. Hassan); disaster risk and green investment in cities (T. Wakiyama & J. Jupesta); and three insightful articles that investigate the Urban Heat Island effect including how to better understand it, its associated challenges and potential strategies for resilience (J. Vargo, R. Sharma & P. K. Joshi, and A. Trundle et al.).