Sattherwaite and Dodman’s editorial is an introduction to a special issue of environment and urbanisation which focusses on climate change responses in cities. It usefully summarises the state of debates about the meanings and complexities of the resilience and transformation concepts, pointing to the latest literature. It focuses on the following areas:

• cities capacity for change in the context of powerful corporate and political interests;
• the differences between focussing on resilience, and transformation, in terms of counteracting these interests in order to promote inclusive responses to climate change, and;
• the ways in which cities are learning from and holding each other accountable through networks and partnerships.

The authors conclude that the literature is yet to comprehensively detail the support needed to catalyse fundamental changes in political and social systems to promote transformation.