Practitioners’
Call to Scale Urban Resilience

The world is shifting fast. Yet, a decade of resilience practice has shown what works. Chief Resilience Officers, city teams, communities and partners are already delivering solutions that protect people, strengthen systems and prepare for the future.

This Call to Action sets out how the wider ecosystem can work with cities to scale resilience.

The moment we are in

Cities are carrying a growing share of global pressure. They hold the responsibility for climate adaptation, public health, social stability and basic services, often with limited resources and competing demands.

Over the past decade, Chief Resilience Officers, city teams and partners have turned resilience from a concept into daily work. They have built governance roles, planning tools, neighbourhood programmes, risk systems, finance approaches and learning platforms that are already delivering results.

Explore the Solutions Map.

This Call to Action recognises that progress and sends a clear message to the wider ecosystem: cities cannot do this alone. If resilience is to reach more people, the systems and partners around cities need to scale with them.

7 of 9
planetary boundaries breached.
*Planetary Health Check 2025
110+
armed conflicts worldwide
The highest since WWII
*Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights
≈ 4
billion people worldwide exposed to extreme heat
*Climate Central
US$300 billion
each year
economic losses from climate-linked disasters
*Swiss Re Institute
The six collective priorities
The six collective priorities

Based on the experience shared by cities and practitioners, the Call to Action highlights six areas where governments, funders, civil society, researchers, networks and the private sector can work with cities to scale resilience.

Explore the Solutions Map.

2. Make resilience integral to urban planning and decisions
Cities are embedding resilience into long-term plans, regulations and investment choices.
🌐 Holistic Resilience Planning Frameworks
Addis Ababa
Monterrey
Sydney
Vejle
Cities are building frameworks to guide the assessment of risks, help set priorities and integrate resilience across policies, plans and investments through a comprehensive, systems-based approach.
More info
🧩 Multi-Scale Urban Resilience Plans
Guadalajara
Santa Fe
Cities are putting together plans and strategies developed at the metropolitan or regional scale that align multiple jurisdictions, coordinate investments and strengthen system-wide resilience.
More info
🔗 Integrated Sectoral Resilience Strategies
Ahmedabad
Chicago
Melbourne
Montreal
Santiago
Cities are building strategies focused on specific sectors like water, energy or mobility that apply an integrated, cross-stakeholder approach to manage risks, align priorities and enhance resilience.
More info
🗂️ Urban Resilience Data Platforms
Cape Town
Guadalajara
Mexico City
Sydney
Cities build platforms that consolidate and visualise urban risk, climate and resilience data to support informed decisions, improve cross-department coordination and make information accessible to communities and partners.
More info
🎛️City Operations & Coordination Centers
Rio de Janeiro
Cities establish centres that integrate data, operations and interagency coordination to support real-time decisions, manage shocks and strengthen their ability to respond and adapt under pressure.
More info
🧭 Decision Support and Scenario Modelling Tools
Athens
Broward County
London
New Orleans
Quito
Rio de Janeiro
Singapore
Cities are relying on tools that model climate and hazard scenarios, simulate impacts and support evidence-based decision-making by comparing resilience options at neighborhood and citywide scales.
More info
💬 Community Risk & Perception Assessment Tools
Calgary
Greater Manchester
Houston
Melaka
Milan
Cities use tools to map local risks, understand community perceptions and identify barriers to resilience so plans and actions are grounded in real experience.
More info
🚨 Extreme Scenario Planning & Simulation Exercises
London
Paris
Cities are running exercises that simulate extreme climate or crisis scenarios, like severe heat waves, to spot weaknesses, test coordination and strengthen preparedness across their systems and stakeholders.
More info
🩺Health Risk Information Systems
Semarang
Seoul
Cities use tools and systems that generate and integrate climate and health risk data, from neighbourhood monitoring to sensor networks, to reveal vulnerabilities, validate community experience and guide targeted action.
More info
4. Accelerate delivery through community-centred solutions
Cities are redesigning neighbourhoods, restoring nature and strengthening community assets.
🏘️ Integrated Neighborhood Resilience Programs
Rotterdam
Cities commit to multi-year, cross-sector programs that strengthen neighbourhood resilience by integrating social, spatial, economic and environmental interventions co-designed with residents.
More info
🌿 Climate-Resilient Community Spaces
Chennai
Milan
Paris
Quezon City
Semarang
Singapore
Cities take part in initiatives that redesign and adapt shared spaces to reduce climate and social risks, strengthen community wellbeing and build more resilient neighbourhoods through inclusive place-making.
More info
🫂Community Resilience Hubs
Houston
Oakland
Vancouver
Cities create multi-purpose community facilities that provide trusted, accessible spaces for climate and health resilience, offering cooling or heating relief, information, essential services and year-round support.
More info
🌿Ecological Resilience & Restoration Projects
Cape Town
Quito
Cities invest in projects that restore forests, watersheds and other ecosystems to reduce climate risks like wildfires, landslides or heat while strengthening biodiversity, improving environmental health and driving collaboration.
More info
🌊Integrated Flood & Coastal Resilience Systems
Glasgow
Norfolk
Vejle
Cities build hybrid interventions that combine engineering, nature-based solutions and urban design to manage climate and water risks, protect key areas and shape resilient landscapes that absorb extreme events.
More info
📣 Health Risk Communication & Preparedness Programs
Greater Manchester
Montreal
Rio de Janeiro
Cities run programs that support residents most at risk during climate-related health emergencies by combining targeted outreach, vulnerability mapping, coordination and tailored response so warnings reach the right people.
More info
🍃Health-Focused Urban Greening Initiatives
Addis Ababa
Cali
Delhi
Cities create initiatives that use urban greening to reduce heat exposure, improve air quality, strengthen local microclimates and create healthier, more resilient public spaces.
More info
🎈 Age- and Child-Friendly Resilience Planning
Addis Ababa
Belfast
Budapest
Penang
Cities design resilience solutions that respond to the needs of older adults, children and youth, making interventions more inclusive and aligned with how different groups experience daily pressures.
More info
What cities are already doing

The Call to Action is grounded in real practice. Through the Resilient Cities Forum, city leaders and practitioners mapped the solutions that are already in place across regions. This shared Solutions Map shows how resilience is being delivered today — through governance, planning, data, finance, neighbourhood action and health.

Coalition of practioners

Meet the practitioners who shaped this Call to Action. We are a diverse global community that has built, tested and advanced resilience on the ground for years. And we are ready to keep shaping the next generation of resilience solutions together.

African cities
Accra
Evans Asamoah Adjei – Chief Resilience & Sustainability Officer
Addis Ababa
Dr Eshetayehu Kinfu – Head of the Strategic Programs Management, Mayor’s Office
Cape Town
Helen Davies – Director, Risk & Resilience and Chief Resilience Officer
Lagos
Dr. Folayinka Dania – Chief Resilience Officer
Olayinka Modupe Ojo - Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Economic Planning and Budget, Lagos State
Asia Pacific cities
Chennai
Krishna Mohan Ramachandran- Chief Resilience Officer
Melaka
Zuhaila binti Ahmad Zubel - Director of Town Planning Department, Chief Resilience Officer
Mohamad Zulikhram bin Zulibrahim - Town Planning Officer
Azren bin A. Karim - Strategic Planning, Urban Scale Studio
Penang
Rajendran a/l P.Anthony - Mayor of Penang Island
Mohd Bashir bin Sulaiman - Chief Resilience Officer and Director of Planning and Development, Penang Island
Nurvainda Alisha Binti SinnappanTown Planner,Seberang Perai
Semarang
Muhammad Luthfi Eko Nugroho – Chief Resilience Officer & Deputy Head of Regional Development Planning
Sydney
Melinda Dewsnapp – Chief Resilience Officer
Monica Barone – Chief Executive Officer
European cities
Athens
Nikos Chrysogelos – Deputy Mayor
Barcelona
Eduardo Carrasco – Chief Resilience Officer
Mar Jiménez Carreté – Commissioner for Barcelona City Council
Glasgow
Duncan Booker – Chief Resilience Officer
Susan Aitken – City Council Leader & Chair of the R-Cities Board of Directors
Greater Manchester
Kathy Oldham – Chief Resilience Officer
Mark Atherton – Director of Environment
London
Katherine Richardson – Director of Resilience
Kristen Guida – Head of Strategy, Prevention & Community Resilience
Michele Vianello – Senior Policy Officer Urban Resilience
Paris
Léa Morfoisse – Chief Resilience Officer & Head of the Resilience Department for Ecological Transition and Climate
Vejle
Julie Halkier Nilsson – Executive Chief Resilience Officer & Chief of Staff
Tinus Elsig – Acting Chief Resilience Officer
Latin American Cities
Buenos Aires
Ana Ciuti – Undersecretary for International Relations
Cali
Catalina Baquero Santacruz – Chief Resilience Officer & Mayor’s Advisor
Guadalajara Metropolitan Area
Martha Patricia Martinez Barba- General Director, Institute of Planning and Development Management & Acting Chief Resilience Officer
Medellin
Lina Murillo – Public Policy Observatory Lead
Mexico City
Myriam Urzúa Venegas- Secretary of Integral Risk Management
Norlang Marcel Garcia Arroliga - Chief Resilience Officer, General Director of Resilience
Montevideo
Natalia Brener - Head of Territorial Planning, Dept of Planning
Rio de Janeiro
Rafael Lisboa- Special Advisor on Strategic Communications and International Relations
Santa Fe
Eduardo Rudi - Secretary of Urban Development
Lucila Garcia - Acting Chief Resilience Officer, Director of the Cooperation, Investment, and Foreign Trade Agency
Salvador
Ivan Euler - Acting Chief Resilience Officer, Secretary of Sustainability, Resilience, and Animal Welfare.
Quito
Mónica Reinoso Paredes- Acting Chief Resilience Officer & Environmental Fund Executive Director
Middle Eastern cities
Dubai
Ahmad Burqibah – CEO, Dubai Resilience Center
Yasser Mohammad – Dubai Resilience Center
Mohammad Almas – Dubai Resilience Center
Ramallah
Ahmed K. AbuLaban – City Director, Chief Resilience Officer
Issa Kassis – Mayor
North American Cities
Broward County
Dr Jennifer Jurado – Chief Resilience Officer
Beam Furr – Mayor
Miami Beach
Amy Knowles, Chief Resilience Officer
Montreal
Annick Maletto – Director of the Montreal Civil Protection Centre
Louise Henault-Ethier- Chief of Adaptation, Resilience and Biodiversity at the Ecological Transition and Resilience Office
Oakland
Daniel Hamilton – Chief Resilience Officer
San Francisco
Brian Strong, Chief Resilience Officer
Vancouver
Katia Tynan – Chief Resilience Officer
Private Sector
Insurance
Bupa
Glyn Richards - Director of Sustainability
Mar Soro - Head of Sustainability Advocacy and Partnerships
Infrastructure
Arup
Jo Da Silva – Global Sustainable Development Director
Jose Ahumada – Senior Consultant
ARCADIS
Professor Samer Bagaeen FRTPI FRICS FICE - Technical Director, Town Planning & Stakeholder Capability
Infrastructure
Jacobs
Susy Torriente - Global Principal for City Resilience
JBA Consulting
Phil Emonson – Technical Director and Climate Resilience Transformation Lead
Energy
Ecotricity & Green Britain Group
Dale Vince, OBE - Founder
Health
Finance & Banking
European Bank for Reconstruction and Development
Lin O'Grady – Deputy Director
FSD Africa
Kelvin Massingham - Director, Adaptation and Resilience
Jonathan Israel - Senior Programme Manager
Civil society organizations
Climate Resilience for All
Emma Howard Boyd - Chair, London Climate Resilience Review and Co-Chair
Open Source tools for Climate Adaptation & Resilience (OSCAR)
Truman Semans - Founder and CEO
The Conduit
Paul van Zyl - Co-Founder, CEO
Julia Okatz - Director, FloodAction Coalition
Media
SmartCitiesWorld
Chris Cooke – Founder and CEO
Paul Wilson – Chair, Advisory Board
City Networks
C40 Cities
Sachin Bhoite- Director of Climate Resilience
ICLEI
Mark Hidson- Deputy Regional Director of ICLEI Europe
Angeliki Konsta- Resilience Expert
Knowledge Institutions
Climate Resilience Institute, University of Miami
Michael Berkowitz- Executive Director
DELTARES
Hans Gehrels – Lead for Resilience
The University of Manchester
Professor Duncan Shaw - National Consortium for Societal Resilience [UK+]
Yale School of Public Health and the Yale Center for Climate Change and Health
Jeannette Ickovics PhD- Professor
Scaling resilience now depends on collective action.
We invite governments, funders, civil society, universities, networks and the private sector to align behind city priorities and help turn proven solutions into lasting change.
Share