Recife is a prominent front-runner for climate policymaking in Brazil, having formulated robust plans and strategies at the city scale. The next step is to overcome the gap between strategic planning and local action at the neighbourhood scale. To achieve this, the climate agenda should be mainstreamed into urban development in Recife, particularly in the context of upgrading informal and low-income settlements. Capacity development and awareness-raising activities drawing on local expertise, knowledge and practices can facilitate that.