Preface

The global imperative to build resilient, sustainable, and livable urban centers has never been more urgent. As cities across the Global South, and Africa in particular, grapple with the compounding pressures of rapid urbanization, socio-economic vulnerabilities, and severe climate realities, the fields of urban planning and environmental management find themselves at a critical crossroads. Navigating these complexities requires more than just technical precision; it demands visionary leadership, robust scholarship, and commitment to translating theory into impactful, community-centred practice.

Few individuals embody this harmonious blend of scholarly rigor, professional excellence, and dedicated service as profoundly as Tpl. Dr. Joshua Adewumi Adebisi Ph.D., M.Phil., M.Sc., MURP, M.Div., FNITP, RTP, FIPMD. This volume, Resilience and Livable Cities in a Warming World: A Festschrift in Honor of Tpl. Dr. Adebisi Joshua Adewumi stands as a monumental tribute to a distinguished academic, seasoned Registered Town Planner, and visionary administrator, commemorating his retirement after more than three decades of unblemished service in academia and professional practice.

Throughout his illustrious career, Dr. Adebisi has steadily risen from Lecturer III in 1994 to the pinnacle rank of Chief Lecturer at The Polytechnic, Ibadan, serving as a cornerstone of environmental education and institutional leadership. His administrative tenure as the Dean of the Faculty of Environmental Studies (2013–2017), alongside his strategic contributions to several national spatial planning projects (including the Abeokuta Master Plan, Ifo–Ota Master Plan, and the Ibadan Urban Renewal Project during his time at NISER), reflects a life completely dedicated to shaping the physical and intellectual landscape of Nigeria. Beyond his profound contributions to Geographical Information Science, urban renewal, and spatial planning, his unique life as a bi-vocational pastor and community leader exemplifies a rare blend of professional integrity, humility, and deep spiritual commitment.

To capture the breadth of Dr. Adebisi’s academic legacy, this commemorative volume brings together an extraordinary collection of 26 chapters from leading scholars, researchers, and practitioners. The book is meticulously arranged into ten distinct thematic sections that collectively chart a course toward sustainable urban futures. The sections are:

Section One: Climate Change and Urban Planning Establishes the foundational dialogue, exploring pathways toward adaptive urban governance and sustainable housing systems.

Section Two: Environmental Justice, Safety, and Sustainability Addresses critical environmental safety risks, urban emissions, and sustainable architectural design frameworks.

Section Three: Green Infrastructure and Ecosystem-Based Approaches Critically appraises the effectiveness of nature-based solutions in enhancing urban resilience across Sub-Saharan African cities.

Section Four: Urban Agriculture and Food Security Bridges land-use planning and social justice, mapping agricultural spatial patterns and analyzing spatial resilience amid rural-urban border stressors.

Section Five: Digital Innovation and Smart Urban Adaptation Investigates technological frameworks, featuring cutting-edge research leveraging AI-driven infrastructure management and regional development solutions, including a strategic contribution by the honouree himself.

Section Six: Inclusive and Participatory Urban Governance Focuses on community-driven inclusiveness and design-based strategies for civic and public spaces.

Section Seven: Health, Water, Sanitation, and Urban Waste Investigates the essential baseline socio-economic and econometric determinants of public health care accessibility, waste management, and water quality.

Section Eight: Public Space, Housing and Land Use Planning Delivers rigorous overviews of urban redevelopment, regulatory adoption, and compliance with physical planning standards.

Section Nine: Risk Reduction and Disaster-Resilient Cities Offers vital case studies and integrated flood risk management strategies drawn from sensitive coastal corridors and vulnerable urban watersheds.

Section Ten: Urban Mobility and Low-Carbon Transport Concludes the compendium by exploring the critical constraints, opportunities, and indices for decarbonizing public transport systems and bolstering resilience in urban road traffic.

This Festschrift is far more than a conventional retirement gift; it is intended to serve as an enduring reference text and intellectual toolkit for students, researchers, policymakers, and town planners striving to design climate-resilient cities.

We express our profound gratitude to the Nigerian Institute of Town Planners (NITP), Oyo State Chapter, for publishing this work, and to the numerous contributors whose intellectual wealth made this volume a reality. Most of all, we celebrate Tpl. Dr. Joshua Adewumi Adebisi. May this collection of ideas stand as an enduring monument to your exceptional footprints in academia, professional planning practice, and community development.

The Editors

Abimbola Simiat Ogunsesan

Ayobami Ademola Akanmu, PhD

Umar Obafemi Salisu, PhD

Ibadan, 2026