Developing a Climate Vulnerability Index for High-Density Urban Areas: Innovative Data-Driven Solutions for Barcelona

Abstract

Climate vulnerability indices are crucial for assessing climate change's impacts and determining the most vulnerable areas and populations. However, their development remains challenged by a lack of standardisation in concepts, indicators, and methodologies. This paper introduces a novel methodology for constructing a Climate Vulnerability Index (CVI) tailored to high-density urban areas such as Barcelona and aimed at mitigating the effects of heat waves. In addition, unlike previous studies, this research provides a detailed assessment of the CVI at the building level. The methodology presented in this research departs from traditional frameworks by offering a flexible, user-driven structure that enables them to prioritise indicators based on their criteria. A comprehensive review of existing approaches identified seven leading indicators of vulnerability. The methodology also includes ranking the indicators using their empirical cumulative distribution function (ECDF), normalising them within the seven identified categories, and aggregating them to calculate the CVI. The outcomes are enhanced with an interactive user interface, allowing users to adjust each category's weight and offering a customisable assessment of climate vulnerability. © 2025 IEEE.