The COVID-19 pandemic has had a devastating impact on children, disrupting their schooling, affecting their well-being, social contact, and even nutrition. This is especially damaging for children living in deprived urban areas, increasing the risk of poverty given the accumulated disadvantages. With the objective of reclaiming play in cities and ensuring children get access to essential developmental opportunities through play, Resilient Cities Network and the Real Play Coalition partnered in the Strengthening Urban Resilience through Play initiative.

Cities in Europe say improved systems, approaches and resourcing are required to achieve climate neutrality, according to a new report published by Resilient Cities Network (R-Cities) and partners at NetZeroCities.

With more than half of the world’s population living in urban areas, a number that is expected to reach 70 percent by 2050, urgent action is required to ensure our cities can withstand the effects of multiple shocks and stresses. Business-as-usual models of siloed and reactive planning do not provide cities with the means to thrive in the face of the acute shocks and chronic stresses of the 21st century.

Cities across the world are beginning to recognize the need to adapt to climate change. But the task can often feel so large, varied and wide-ranging that a common question we hear is: “Well, where do I even begin?”

Infrastructure increasingly plays a complex role in supporting resilience; however, there is a multitude of organizations that control critical infrastructure in cities. In addition, there is often a lack of collaboration across national, state, and local organizations that limits our understanding and ability to address and mitigate risks. This emphasizes the need to break silos within and between different levels of governance to tackle interconnected challenges together.

Two years after the start of the pandemic, the virus is not yet considered endemic, but communities across the world have had to address health system crisis, gaps and innovations to be able to live with the virus circulating, as well as other healthcare related challenges. In this fourth Cities on the Frontline session, we explore where cities and state governments find themselves two years after the WHO declaration of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Covid-19 pandemic has made clear that one crisis quickly begets another. The climate extremes that have been impacting cities in recent years – floods, droughts, cyclones – collide with existing challenges of aging and inadequate urban infrastructure, preventing cities from full economic recovery.

The RCIFund is a grant-based fund for members of the Resilience Cities Network to invest in pilot projects that can deliver immediate benefits for vulnerable communities and ensure long-term resilience impacts to cities.