Date : Jeudi | 2024-11-28 à 12h30
Lieu : Salle des thèses

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Robert Reinhardt (CES, Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne)

Sub-Saharan African cities are among the fastest-growing in the world but face significant climatic risks. This study investigates how exposure to extreme climate events has shaped the economic, demographic, and physical growth of ~6 000 cities in the region between 2000 and 2020. Using high-resolution remote sensing data combined with a dynamic panel and event-study approach, I find that climate-driven shocks lead to accelerated informal settlement expansion and reduced economic growth, particularly in medium-sized cities with low resilience and higher poverty. In addition these shocks fuel food price inflation highlighting welfare implications. Finally, the paper documents heterogeneous responses to a chosen set of shocks depending on the location of businesses and households within cities. These findings underscore the need for urban policies also in mid-sized cities that enhance resilience to climate risks, particularly through improved adaptation to heat and through economic support for vulnerable urban populations.