Hurricane Sandy in New York, extreme climate events and the urbanization of climate change: perspectives in the context of sub-Saharan African cities

•The implications of Hurricane Sandy's impact on New York City are reviewed.•Factors associated with the challenges and opportunities for climate change adaptation in a large city are described.•Climate adaptation and the translation of lessons learned are compared for New York City and cities in subSaharan Africa.

Hurricane Sandy severely impacted the City of New York in October of 2012. The storm and its aftermath provides a window into potential opportunities for enhanced adaptation in a range of urban settings but also reveals much about the urbanization process and cities’ capacity to respond to climate change. This paper examines these insights with a focus on those that might be useful for decision-makers and stakeholders in subSaharan African cities.