This document outlines UN-Habitat's new Urban Resilience Indexing Programme. The program aims to [1] develop tools and standards to measure and strengthen urban resilience, [2] create a framework to assess resilience across different urban systems, and [3] engage cities directly to build ownership. Key outputs will include indicators to evaluate resilience, global standards, and monitoring tools to help cities strengthen infrastructure and plan for future crises. The program sees urban resilience as critical for sustainable development and will work with city networks to build capacity and pilot initiatives in 10 cities.

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2. Measuring and Promoting Urban
Resilience: A new UN-Habitat
Programme
Ansa Masaud
Human Settlements Officer, Risk Reduction and
Reconstruction Branch, UN-Habitat, HQ, Nairobi
IDRC Conference, Davos 2012
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3. Urban Resilience
“ The capacity of urban
systems to absorb and
recover quickly from a crisis ”
”

4. Resilient Cities
The primary goal of
UN-Habitat is to realize
the goal of sustainable
development in cities.
Key to this is ensuring that
cities are able to withstand
and recover quickly from
catastrophic events.

5. Cities at Risk
• More than 50 percent of the world’s
population lives in cities
• 2011 Highest loses in history, urban
economic losses exceeding $400
billion
• Largest impacts in Christchurch, New
Zealand and Sendai Province, Japan
• Urban and Settlements systems
unable to cope with hazards and risks

6. Why an indexing approach?
• All available urban systems approaches are risk
based (DRR-based);
• Most standards, regulations, and specifications
balance risk and cost;
• Risk-based approaches focus on identification and
remedial development;
• Indexing provides benchmarks;
• Standards provide future planning targets;
• Quantification and monitoring ensures progress;
• Urban systems approach ensures integrated
resilience planning and development, and
• Resilient cities protect sustainable development
trajectories.
URBAN RESILIENCE INDEXING PROGRAMME
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7. Key outputs from the URIP
• An adaptable urban systems model suitable
for all human settlements for pre, post crisis;
• A menu of tools to strengthen resilience in
urban areas
• A set of resilience indicators for calibrating
urban systems in pre and post crisis;
• Global standards set for urban resilience;
• A new UN-Habitat normative framework for
monitoring urban systems resilience globally
• Shared goals of models of urban systems
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8. Global Challenges Local Realities
• Two decades of on-
going negotiations • Need for bottom-
• Continued emphasis up, city level
on national-level institution building
concerns. • Transfer of
capacity and know-
how to engage
planners and urban
authorities at the
frontline

9. Risk vs. Resilience
• Risk: • Resilience:
o Based on hazard(s) o Multi-hazard approach
o Vulnerability driven o Urban systems analysis
o Spatial orientation o Integrated strategies
o Sector-based o Forward planning and
assessments development
o Remedial ‘adaptation’ o Resilience driven
and ‘risk reduction’
URBAN RESILIENCE INDEXING PROGRAMME
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10. Urban systems
Organization
Physical Elements Space
Built environment
Infrastructure
Transport
Planning
Public works
Revenue
Management
Functional Elements
Individual
Tim
URBAN RESILIENCE INDEXING PROGRAMME
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11. Building an urban systems model
Requirements:
•An adaptable, flexible and
comprehensive framework;
•A system and approach for defining
and quantifying components of
resilience;
•An interface that is accessible and
user-friendly;
•Ownership by urban governments
•Of use to DRR, humanitarian and
development actors
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12. Thoughts for Urban Recovery
• Infrastructure, health, housing, water, sanitation
systems are an integral element of all urban
systems;
• Structurally sound hospitals won’t necessarily
function if the hazard is a major flood, or if other
urban systems fail;
• Resilient health systems are ‘able to withstand and
recovery quickly from any crisis’;
• Functional continuity in communication,
infrastructure through crises is essential for
ensuring urban resilience;
• Recovery and reconstruction programming in
cities can increase resilience and produce
measurable development gain following
crisis.
o

13. An adaptable, flexible and comprehensive framework
• Integrates sectoral urban elements related to:
o Land
o Built environment
o Infrastructure
o Environment
o Economy…
• …and organizational elements such as:
o Individuals
o Community
o Local government
o Regional (district, provincial, state)
o National government
o …and international stakeholders
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14. An adaptable, flexible and comprehensive urban framework
• With spatial elements:
o Smallest discrete units (plots)
o Community/neighborhood
o Sub-urban districts/boroughs
o Urban/metro
o Regional
o State/national
o X-border
• …and:
o Time –
Each element of the urban system is vulnerable to any, or all
of a host of hazards.
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15. Building tools that are accessible and user-friendly
Two complex systems that require:
• Integration:
oTaking the adaptable urban systems model and
creating quantifiable indicators for resilience
• Interface:
oBuildingknowledge, tools and software that allows
urban managers, technical staff, and other
stakeholders to determine future urban
development targets to ensure resilient cities.
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16. Building ownership by urban governments
Developing useful tools and targets:
• Up to 10 pilot cities selected from the ISDR Making
Cities Resilient Campaign partners;
• Key partnerships and innovative linkages with city
networks, communities, industry, planners,
professional networks, researchers, academia, and
agencies;
• Linkages to UN-Habitat World Urban Campaign;
• Focus on Hyogo Framework for Action and MCR
Campaign, post-2015;
• Targeting Habitat III conference 2016 for launching
Urban Resilience Monitoring Programme.
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17. THANK YOU
For comments and feedback:
Ansa.masaud@unhabitat.org
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