Urbanization Rethought

Abdulaziz I. Almulhim is an internationally recognized scholar in urban sustainability, urban resilience, and climate change. He is Associate Professor of Urban Sustainability at Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Saudi Arabia. His research critically examines urban planning under conditions of rapid urbanization, climate stress, and environmental constraint. He has published over 70 peer-reviewed articles and is recognized among the world’s top 2% of scientists (Stanford University). He serves as a Lead Author for the IPCC Special Report on Climate Change and Cities (2027) and sits on the editorial boards of leading international journals. He has led and edited major scholarly volumes published by Springer, Palgrave Macmillan, and Elsevier. His research focuses on climate change adaptation, sustainable smart cities, and the transformation of rapidly urbanizing regions toward climate-positive futures. His work integrates theory, policy, and practice to advance resilient and sustainable urban transitions globally.https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=8IoEehUAAAAJ&hl=en&citsig=AMD79oouXW5CoT4onVGtU-zZiIjCjquZ2gPatrick Brandful Cobbinah is an Associate Professor of Urban Planning at the University of Melbourne and a leading academic commentator on urban planning in Global South. Recognized among the world’s top 2% of scientists by Stanford University for three consecutive times (2023, 2024, 2025), and as a national rising star of research in 2021 by the Australian Research Magazine, his research focuses on urban planning and climate change in Global South and the outcomes of inappropriate planning practices and theories on Global South cities. His work continues to unsettle and challenge the existing geo-politics of knowledge production in planning and climate management by providing a deeper understanding and enriching Global South-focused theorization on planning and climate change. He is the Senior editor of Journal of Urban Affairs and the editor of four flagship books: Handbook on Planning and Climate Change Adaptation (Edward Elgars), Reimagining Urban Planning in Africa (Cambridge University Press), Sustainable Urban Futures in Africa (Routledge), and The Geography of Climate Change Adaptation in Urban Africa (Palgrave-MacMillan). He is a lead member of the OECD’s Working Group on ‘Accelerating Africa’s built environment towards a sustainable and resilient future’.https://scholar.google.com.au/citations?hl=en&user=t4Bd9eMAAAAJ&view_op=list_workshttps://orcid.org/0000-0003-2522-9293

• Part I. Conceptual Foundations .- Chapter 1. Urbanization in Arid Contexts: Planning, Constraint, and Resilience.- Chapter 2. Saudi Arabian Cities in Sustainable Urbanization Dialogue  .- Chapter 3. Sustainable development fantasies and realities in Saudi Arabian cities: urbanization-environment analysis.- Part II. Planning and Resilience in Practice.- Chapter 4. Mediating urbanization and sustainable development in Saudi Arabia: Urban Planning pivotality and stewardship .- Chapter 5. Desiring Resilience in Saudi Arabian Cities: On Climate Change and Urban Policy.- Chapter 6. Green Infrastructure: What it means for Climate Adaptation and Planning in Saudi Arabia.- Part III. Governance, Transformation, and Urban Futures.- Chapter 7. Managing Megaprojects and building Resilience in Saudi Arabian cities.- Chapter 8. Advancing the pursuit of urban resilience: profiling Dammam Metropolitan Area.- Chapter 9. Planning for Sustainable Urban Futures: Rethinking Urbanization and Resilience in Saudi Arabia.