Making Cities Resilient 2030

Making Cities Resilient 2030
Name	Making Cities Resilient 2030
Abbreviation	MCR2030
Established	2019
Type	International initiative
Headquarters	Geneva
Coordinator	United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction
Partners	United Nations Development Programme, World Bank, European Commission, ICLEI

Contents

Making Cities Resilient 2030 is a global initiative launched to accelerate urban resilience in the context of Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. It aims to support municipal authorities, municipal networks, and international organizations in scaling risk-informed urban planning, infrastructure investment, and climate adaptation across metropolitan regions such as New York City, Tokyo, Mumbai, Lagos, and São Paulo. The initiative aligns with multilateral processes including the Paris Agreement, the New Urban Agenda, and the work of agencies like the World Meteorological Organization.

Background and Objectives

The initiative builds on prior efforts including the Hyogo Framework for Action, the UN-Habitat campaigns, and municipal networks such as C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group and ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability. Its stated objectives are to mainstream risk reduction into urban governance in cities like Mexico City, Istanbul, Jakarta, and Manila; to support alignment with national policies such as those of the European Union and the African Union; and to catalyze finance from institutions including the World Bank Group, the Asian Development Bank, and the Green Climate Fund. The program emphasizes local capacity building with technical partners such as the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the Rockefeller Foundation, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

The framework adapts principles from the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction and integrates guidance from the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction, the IPCC, and standards-setting bodies like ISO. Core components include risk assessment tools used in cities like London, Paris, and Berlin, resilience strategies influenced by research from institutions such as Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University, and University College London, and infrastructure retrofitting approaches applied in projects supported by the European Investment Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank. Cross-sectoral linkages draw on urban practice repositories from UN-Habitat, Cities Alliance, and Mercy Corps.

Recommended strategies mirror approaches used by municipal governments in Barcelona, Singapore, and Seoul: integrating hazard mapping from agencies like the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Japan Meteorological Agency into land-use planning; advancing nature-based solutions exemplified by projects in Copenhagen and Bogotá; and mobilizing public–private partnerships similar to those brokered by the World Economic Forum. Best practices include participatory stakeholder engagement modeled on processes in Cape Town and Boston, mainstreaming resilience into capital investment programming as practiced by the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, and using open data platforms developed by organizations such as OpenStreetMap and IBM.

Pilot implementations have been documented in municipalities including Kathmandu, Toulouse, Valencia, and Durban. In Istanbul resilience planning linked seismic risk analysis from the Koç University and the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality to retrofit strategies financed through mechanisms similar to those used by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. Lima and Lviv pilots combined flood modeling from the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development and community resilience programs run in coordination with UNICEF and Save the Children. Comparative studies reference urban resilience initiatives in Sydney, Vancouver, and Zurich.

M&E draws on indicator sets from the Sendai Framework, the Sustainable Development Goals, and the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction reporting mechanisms, and employs data sources such as remote sensing from NASA, socioeconomic datasets from the World Bank, and health surveillance from the World Health Organization. Metrics include hazard exposure, critical infrastructure functionality exemplified by standards from the International Organization for Standardization, and social vulnerability measures used by researchers at Harvard University and University of California, Berkeley. Independent evaluation partners have included think tanks like the Overseas Development Institute and the Stockholm Environment Institute.

Governance structures convene networks of mayors, municipal associations such as the United Cities and Local Governments, and multilateral donors including the International Monetary Fund on macro-level policy coherence. Financing instruments combine municipal bonds like those used in New York City and Mexico City, blended finance vehicles promoted by the Global Infrastructure Facility, and grants from philanthropic actors such as the Ford Foundation. Technical partnerships engage academic centers like the London School of Economics, consultancies such as McKinsey & Company, and civil society organizations including Oxfam and Habitat for Humanity.

Critics compare the initiative to prior frameworks such as the Hyogo Framework for Action and argue about measurable impact in megacities including Karachi and Dhaka, pointing to issues of funding gaps similar to debates at the UN Climate Change Conference sessions and uneven implementation observed in regions covered by the African Development Bank. Future directions emphasize stronger alignment with climate science from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, enhanced municipal finance mechanisms informed by the International Finance Corporation, and scaling community-led approaches championed by groups like Slum Dwellers International and Practical Action.

Category:Urban resilience