Assessing the Urban Climate Resilience of Cities in Hungary Using an Index-based Approach

Climate resilience in urban areas is increasingly critical in the face of climate change, particularly in regions where climate variability poses significant challenges. This study introduces the Climate Resilience Index for Town Sustainability, a novel, multidimensional framework designed to evaluate the resilience of 19 Hungarian cities, including Budapest and county capitals. The framework incorporates 41 parameters across environmental, social, and infrastructural dimensions, addressing significant gaps in existing resilience assessments by providing a region-specific, holistic evaluation. The research employs advanced statistical techniques, including principal component analysis and k-means clustering, to analyze the data sourced from the Hungarian Central Statistical Office and the National Adaptation Geo-Information System. This analysis revealed substantial variability in resilience scores among Hungarian county capitals, with Békéscsaba achieving the highest scores due to its extensive green infrastructure, renewable energy adoption, and lower proportion of vulnerable populations. In contrast, Budapest recorded one of the lowest scores, highlighting challenges such as limited green spaces, high population density, and elevated energy consumption. Clustering analysis grouped the cities into eight distinct categories, emphasizing the role of geographic and climatic factors in shaping urban resilience. The findings demonstrate the critical importance of targeted interventions, such as expanding green infrastructure, improving energy efficiency, and enhancing sustainable practices. By offering actionable insights for policymakers, this index not only advances resilience research but also provides a replicable framework adaptable to other regions. Its innovative approach to integrating multidimensional parameters represents a significant contribution to the understanding and improvement of urban climate resilience in a changing world.