Urbanized deltas are highly complex systems. They are the most densely urbanized and industrialized areas in the world; at the same time they face many threats from climate change, being extremely vulnerable to flooding, erosion, and silting up of ports. At the beginning of the 21st century, most of the world's urban deltas face a 'critical transition', in response to increasing imbalances. Climate changes and societal developments lead to conflicting land use claims, with space for water on the one hand and urbanization, industry and agriculture on the other. In order to survive in the long term, urban deltas need to be approached from new perspectives, as adaptive systems. Urbanized Deltas in Transition compares eight international urban deltas. Exploiting the power of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and employing high-quality global datasets, it studies the mutual relations among different components in a series of urban deltas, and proposes new perspectives for enhancing the adaptability of these vital regions.
