Built-up areas in the cities create unique microclimates due to the replacement of natural vegetation with artificial surfaces. This causes changes in wind direction and affects precipitation patterns and the urban heat island effect and drainage floods are typical urban climate challenges. Demography, urban production and consumption practices, and population lifestyles also alter the impacts of climate change in cities. The vulnerability of urban areas to current climate variability and future climate change is dependant on the degree of public sensitivity to the issue. High public water demand on a relatively small area already poses water scarcity challenges in some cities, particularly in southern Europe. Climate change will only exacerbate this problem.

Europe-wide observations and scenarios specifically addressing urban climate change do not exist, but other information is relevant for assessing urban vulnerability. The European Database of Vulnerabilities for urban areas (EVDAB) collects and integrates relevant datasets dealing with exposure and vulnerability to weather-driven hazards, grouped according to selected themes or morphological features. In its initial stage of development, the EVDAB focused on 305 urban areas in Europe. Eurostat's Urban Audit collects comparable statistics and indicators for European cities. It currently focuses on 321 cities in the 27 countries of the European Union, along with 36 additional cities in Norway, Switzerland and Turkey.