Making Cities Resilient Report 2012

What do we mean by a resilient city
Although no city can ever be entirely safe from natural hazards, they can be more resilient to the
destructive forces that claim lives and assets. A resilient city is characterized by its capacity to withstand
or absorb the impact of a hazard through resistance or adaptation, which enable it to maintain certain
basic functions and structures during a crisis, and bounce back or recover from an event (Twigg, 2007;
UNISDR, terminology).
At the outset, the Campaign defined a resilient city as one where:
• Disasters are minimized because the population lives in homes and communities with organized
services and infrastructure that adhere to sensible building codes; without informal settlements
built on flood plains or steep slopes because no other land is available.
• An inclusive, competent and accountable local government is concerned about sustainable
urbanization and that commits the necessary resources to develop capacities to manage and
organize itself before, during and after a natural hazard event.
• The local authorities and the population understand their risks and develop a shared, local
information base on disaster losses, hazards and risks, including who is exposed and who is
vulnerable.
• People are empowered to participate, decide and plan their city together with local authorities and
value local and indigenous knowledge, capacities and resources.
• Steps are taken to anticipate and mitigate the impact of disasters, incorporating monitoring and
early warning technologies to protect infrastructure, community assets and individuals, including
their homes and possessions, cultural heritage, environmental and economic capital, and is able
to minimize physical and social losses arising from extreme weather events, earthquakes or other
natural or human- induced hazards.
• There is an ability to respond, implement immediate recovery strategies and quickly restore basic
services to resume social, institutional and economic activity after such an event.
• An understanding exists that most of the above is also central to building resilience to adverse
environmental changes, including climate change, in addition to reducing greenhouse gas
emissions.
What makes a city resilient to natural and human-induced hazards can be seen as a combination of
resilience accumulated through the process of urbanisation and planning, on one-hand, and the result of
specific actions to reduce disaster risk on the other.
Sound development practice with good regulations, well-maintained infrastructure, capable emergency
management and solid institutions, which develop participatory urban plans, provide building permits, and
manage water resources and solid waste, help to build up cities’ resilience over time. Political processes
and decision making that have addressed particular needs, or reduced risks, as the city was constructed
will provide safe, good quality living conditions for everyone and protect the most vulnerable. This type of
‘accumulated resilience’ makes the city function on a daily basis .
A city also builds resilience through the engagement of its government, citizens and other stakeholders in
the process of disaster risk reduction, where specific actions are taken to identify, manage and lessen the
impacts of natural and human-induced hazards.
The following chapters review how local governments at various stages of economic and social development,
with varying sizes and facing different hazards and risks, are adopting the traits characteristic of resilient
cities, and taking steps to address current gaps and challenges.
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