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Ulviyya Poladova

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At World Urban Forum 13, Professor of Urban Politics and Development, Global Development Institute, Seth Schindler spoke about one of the least discussed but increasingly urgent challenges facing modern cities, AzerNEWS reports.

Responding to a question about the policy gaps preventing cities from being fully prepared for climate-related and conflict-related emergencies, Schindler noted that many policymakers remain focused on immediate crises rather than long-term structural risks.

“There are many gaps. Many policymakers are not focused on these big-picture issues. They’re focused instead on the immediacy of crises," he emphasized.

According to Schindler, city administrations today often operate in "minute-by-minute contexts," leaving little room for strategic planning. He said that urban leaders now require not only expertise in local governance, but also a deeper understanding of geopolitics and the long-term consequences of climate change.

"They need expertise in geopolitics as well as a long-term understanding of the consequences of climate change and how these two things will interact," he explained.

A key issue, Schindler argued, is that many cities fail to recognize their own independent relationship with global political developments. He stressed that cities should not always be viewed merely as extensions of national governments.

"You have cities that are, in some ways, independently related to geopolitical events from the nation-state," he said.

Schindler further noted that both climate risks and geopolitical dynamics are evolving rapidly, making it difficult for policymakers to fully anticipate every future challenge. Nevertheless, he argued that city leaders must actively seek expertise where gaps in knowledge exist.

The professor has also focused on the importance of collaboration between universities, governments, and private companies in building resilient and crisis-ready cities. Schindler described such cooperation as essential, but warned against assuming that all stakeholders naturally share the same interests.

As an example, he referenced cases where cities are governed by opposition mayors or regional authorities whose policies diverge from central government strategies. He also cited California’s climate cooperation with China as an illustration of how regional and city-level initiatives can differ significantly from national political positions.

Despite these political differences, he emphasized that dialogue and coordination remain essential.