Search

5 Ways Cities Can Become More Resilient to Climate Change: Study

We are an online community created around a smart and easy to access information hub which is focused on providing proven global and local insights about sustainability

05 May, 2025

This post was originally published on Eco Watch

New research detailed in The Conversation provides five ways cities can better cope with and become more resilient to climate change through progressive climate adaptation.

The world’s societies, economies and ecosystems are under imminent threat from climate breakdown. But, due to what the United Nations has termed an “adaptation gap,” many countries and cities are perpetually unprepared, reported The Conversation.

“Building climate resilience is notoriously difficult. Economic barriers limit investment in infrastructure and technology. Social inequities undermine the capacity of vulnerable populations to adapt. And inconsistent policies impede coordinated efforts across sectors and at scale,” Paul O’Hare, a lecturer in human geography and urban development at England’s Manchester Metropolitan University, wrote in The Conversation.

O’Hare identified five ways cities can more effectively and progressively adapt and become more resilient to climate change.

The first is to not just “bounce back” following a crisis.

O’Hare said that when natural disasters like storms, floods and wildfires hit, governments often make rebuilding as quickly as possible the priority.

“Though understandable, resilience doesn’t just entail coping with the effects of climate change. Instead of ‘bouncing back’ to a pre-shock status, those in charge of responding need to encourage ‘bouncing forward,’ creating places that are at less risk in the first place,” O’Hare said.

Swales and sustainable urban drainage in Gorton climate-resilient park, Manchester, UK. Paul O’Hare, CC BY-NC-ND

The second resilience and adaptation strategy O’Hare recommended is to be “informed by risk.”

“It can be difficult to predict what the consequences of a crisis might be. Cities are complex, interconnected places. Transboundary risks – the consequences that ripple across a place – must be taken into account,” O’Hare wrote. “The best climate adaptation plans recognise that vulnerability varies across places, contexts and over time. The most effective are holistic: tailored to specific locations and every aspect of society.”

O’Hare said both climatic and non-climatic risk features must be considered in assessments.

“Many existing assessments have limited scope. But others do acknowledge how ageing infrastructures and pressures to develop land to accommodate ever intensifying urban populations exacerbate urban flood risk. Others too, such as the recently published Cambridge climate risk plan, detail how climate risk intersects with the range of services provided by local government,” O’Hare explained.

O’Hare said “systems thinking,” which looks at problems as part of larger, interconnected systems, can be used to identify mutually-dependent drivers of change.

“Good risk assessments will, for example, take note of demographics, age profiles and the socio-economic circumstances of neighbourhoods, enabling targeted support for particularly vulnerable communities. This can help ensure communities and systems adapt to evolving challenges as climate change intensifies, and as society evolves over time,” O’Hare said.

The third strategy is “transformative action.”

“There is no such thing as a natural disaster. The effects of disasters including floods and earthquakes are influenced by pre-existing, often chronic, social and economic conditions such as poverty or poor housing,” O’Hare said.

O’Hare explained that progressive climate resilience looks past immediate shocks to the underlying causes of inequality and vulnerability.

“This ensures that society is not only better prepared to withstand adverse events in the future, but thrives in the face of uncertainty,” O’Hare said.

The fourth recommendation by O’Hare is to use “collective approaches.”

“Effective climate resilience demands collective action. Sometimes referred to as a ‘whole of society’ response, this entails collaboration and shared responsibility to address the multifaceted challenges posed by a changing climate,” O’Hare wrote in The Conversation.

O’Hare said the most successful initiatives consider more broad and longer-term risks while avoiding self-protection of cities, buildings and people.

“For instance, developments not at significant risk should still incorporate adaptation measures including rainwater harvesting or enhanced greening to lower a city’s climate risk profile and benefit local communities, neighbouring authorities and surrounding regions,” O’Hare wrote. “So, progressive resilience is connected, comprehensive and inclusive. Solidarity is key, leveraging resources to address common challenges and fostering a sense of shared purpose and mutual support.”

Floating solar panels on a water reservoir of the Del-Co Water Company in Delaware, Ohio on March 26, 2025. Jim West / UCG / Universal Images Group via Getty Images

The last strategy — which O’Hare says is the most effective — is to exploit co-benefits to leverage additional sector and policy benefits that reduce vulnerability to shocks while at the same time addressing other environmental and social challenges.

The United Nations refers to these as “multiple resilience dividends.”

“In northern Europe, for example, moorlands can be restored to retain water helping alleviate downstream flooding, but also to capture carbon and provide vital habitats for biodiversity,” O’Hare wrote. “In south-East Asia solar panels installed on reservoirs generate renewable energy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, while providing shade to reduce evaporation and conserve water resources during droughts.”

O’Hare pointed out that, while adaptation is critical to tackling climate change worldwide, “the real challenge is to deal with the impacts of climate change while simultaneously creating communities that are fairer, healthier, and better equipped to face any manner of future risks.”

The findings of the study, “Not ‘just’ climate adaptation — towards progressive urban resilience,” were published in the journal Humanities and Social Sciences Communications.

“Climate breakdown poses immense — potentially existential — threats to global economies, societies, and ecosystems. Mitigation must be pursued with vigour. However, given the consensus regarding the inevitability of climate change, and the doom-laden predictions of its impacts, adaptation is urgent,” O’Hare wrote in the study.

The post 5 Ways Cities Can Become More Resilient to Climate Change: Study appeared first on EcoWatch.

Pass over the stars to rate this post. Your opinion is always welcome.
[Total: 0 Average: 0]

You may also like…

‘The Science Is What Sets Us Apart’: How the Rodale Institute Has Spent 77 Years Innovating Regenerative Organic Agriculture

‘The Science Is What Sets Us Apart’: How the Rodale Institute Has Spent 77 Years Innovating Regenerative Organic Agriculture

Founded in 1947 by J.I. Rodale, Rodale Institute is a nonprofit dedicated to helping the regenerative organic agriculture movement grow through research, education and farmer training. In his study of regenerative organic farming, Rodale — who came up with the term “organic” — studied Indigenous agricultural practices, including those of communities like the long-lived Hunza […]
The post ‘The Science Is What Sets Us Apart’: How the Rodale Institute Has Spent 77 Years Innovating Regenerative Organic Agriculture appeared first on EcoWatch.

Urban 'placemaking' focus for $85m recreation centre

Urban 'placemaking' focus for $85m recreation centre

Sydney developer Billbergia Group has announced the Rhodes Recreation Centre — an $85 million, 9200 m2 multi-purpose community hub in Sydney’s Inner West.

Located at 6 Gauthorpe St and designed by architectural firm SJB, the recreation centre is in a three-level podium building beneath two high-rise residential towers — the 48-level Peake and 43-level Oasis. Together, they form stage two of the developer’s Rhodes Central Masterplan — a $3 billion, three-stage town centre project.

The Rhodes Recreation Centre was delivered under a $97 million Voluntary Planning Agreement (VPA) between the developer and City of Canada Bay Council. It will be handed over to council next month and is set to open later this year. Once complete, the masterplan will have delivered 25,000 m2 of dedicated public amenity, including retail, community facilities and open space.

With the NSW Government’s housing reforms set to address the housing shortage, the recreation centre will reflect the importance of ‘placemaking’ — a collaborative approach to designing and managing public spaces that enhances community wellbeing and fosters connections between people and their environment — in planning new urban communities.

It also presents a pathway for public and private sectors to collaborate and create social infrastructure while increasing housing supply in fast-growing suburbs.

The recreation centre is set to add vibrancy and pedestrian activity to the local streetscape, providing a diverse range of facilities that enhance the livability of the evolving suburb. These community amenities include two full-sized indoor sports courts, a gymnastics centre, a 70-place childcare centre, a community lounge, allied health services, and bookable spaces for local groups and events. It also provides a gym with cardio equipment, weights, group fitness rooms, a creche and an outdoor terrace, alongside a range of sustainability features.

Facilities at the Rhodes Recreation Centre. Images supplied.

“Rhodes Recreation Centre is the community heart of our high-density TOD development, bringing to life Billbergia’s vision for a future-focused, livable urban environment that prioritises amenity, not just density,” said Saul Moran, Development Director – Planning and Design at Billbergia.

The amenities within the two residential towers include a swimming pool, spa, sauna, children’s play area, library and theatre rooms. Pedestrian connections and through-site links provide access to Rhodes railway station and the Homebush Bay waterfront.

“The Rhodes Recreation Centre stands as a benchmark in successful public–private collaboration. Through a VPA with Canada Bay Council, we’ve created a pathway to unlock additional housing supply while delivering significant, lasting community infrastructure. It’s a clear demonstration of how thoughtful public and private partnerships can shape vibrant, livable neighbourhoods,” Moran said.

Located adjacent to Rhodes railway station, stage one of Billbergia’s Rhodes Central Masterplan was completed in 2021 and included the 13,000 m2 Rhodes Central Shopping Centre, with convenience retail, a Woolworths supermarket, medical facilities and the Bamboo Lane dining precinct.

Other previous projects include the 1.2 ha Phoenix Park in Rhodes, the $63 million Bennelong Bridge, the popular Baylink Shuttle service, the 3500 m2 Wentworth Point Community Centre and Library, and the Wentworth Point Pop-Up Town Square.

Billbergia’s ongoing focus on placemaking and social infrastructure also includes the $8.4 million delivery of a library at its mixed-tenure development, Arncliffe Central, in Sydney’s south. There is the potential for 75% of Arncliffe Central’s dwellings to be dedicated to social, affordable and essential worker rental housing, along with 3400 m2 allocated to childcare, convenience retail and cafes, and a 4000 m2 park with play space for both residents and the broader community.

Top image caption: The Rhodes Recreation Centre location with two planned residential towers, Peake and Oasis. Image supplied.

0 Comments