Urban and Heat Learning Journey
Session 1
Urban Dynamics
This 4-part Learning Journey, led by the Zurich Climate Resilience Alliance, is a space for Alliance members and other DRR practitioners to explore and learn about urban and heat resilience.
The Learning Journey has been designed for both synchronous learning, joining live, interactive online sessions, or asynchronous learning, by accessing materials independently and at your own pace.
This first session, held in June 2024, explored urban dynamics, including the key characteristics and complexities of working in the urban context and a review of the importance of stakeholder engagement in cities.
Watch the full recording of the session or, if easier, review the selected resources and summary documents below.
Guest speakers
| Jeff Woods | Eddie Jjemba |
|---|---|
| Advisor for Humanitarian Assistance in the Urban Context, IFRC Africa Regional Office and Cluster delegation for Kenya and Somalia, shared the presentation A Brief Introduction to Urban Contexts, communities and Systems. | Senior Urban Resilience Advisor at the Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre, gave a presentation titled Urban Stakeholders, diving into the process of identifying and engaging with stakeholders in the urban context. |
Key takeaways for practitioners
Remember: Urban areas have high density, diversity, and dynamics.
Urban resilience planning must be mindful of constant change.
Urban resilience planning involves engaging with many interconnected systems and stakeholders.
Invest time mapping and engaging with stakeholders, as well as building relationships.
Session highlights and resources
Have a look at the following short videos on key topics shared during the session.
Urban density, diversity and dynamics
"One of the things we have long preached in the Red Cross is 'the community must own their resilience; they must own their project'. But this can be more difficult in an urban context."
Keeping track of change in urban areas
“If you are working in an organization doing Early Warning Early Action on floods in informal settlements, it is important that you keep track of change.”
Urban systems and cascading risks
"It is easy to try to engage too many people, so identifying the right stakeholders with the right influence at the right time is critical."
Stakeholder mapping
"When you conduct the stakeholder mapping, you have to think about the core systems. We have to think of other systems that are related to disaster risk management."
Who are the urban stakeholders?
Stakeholder engagement
Interested in learning more?
See below for resources related to the session.
Building Coalitions for Urban Resilience Toolkit
Stepping back Understanding cities and their systems
There are many more resources out there to better understand urban and heat topics. The Zurich Climate Resilience Alliance has launched the Urban Heat Resource Directory to concentrate guidance, tools and information. Click the icon to access the Directory.
The Zurich Climate Resilience Alliance works with communities to influence policies and practices which enhance resilience to climate hazards.
For more information about the Urban Heat Learning Journey, please contact:
Francisco Ianni, Senior Officer - Floods Resilience, [email protected]
Members of the Zurich Climate Resilience Alliance are funded by the Z Zurich Foundation, with the exception of Zurich Insurance Group. However, the views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the official position of either the Foundation or the company.