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Urbanization plays a significant role in how the sustainable development goals (SDGs) can be achieved by countries and regions since they can deliver the benefits of SDGs to a relatively large number of people in a short period of time by concentrating efforts in relatively focused areas than the widely dispersed rural areas. With 55% of people living in urban areas, achieving any success in SDGs in urban areas could mean automatically benefiting 55% of the world population. At the same time, not addressing the risks that urban areas pose to their populations could also mean jeopardizing the benefits that these population will otherwise gain. Hence, addressing risks that the urban areas will face in the future is as important as that of efforts to achieve SDGs.
Keeping the above context in view, the discussion in this chapter establishes the importance of addressing urban risks so that the efforts to achieve SDGs could yield the desired output. For achieving this objective, the chapter identifies important risks that the urban areas are currently facing and their future behavior in a rapidly changing socio-economic and climate landscape and the risk management strategies that need to be put in place for maximizing the sustainable development within the urban context and beyond.