Cities for a resilient recovery: International lessons on recovery from COVID-19

Source(s): Resilient Cities Network

By Duncan Shaw, Jennifer Bealt, Ayham Fattoum et al.

There is a need for accessible COVID data, relief funds to enable communities to support the vulnerable; surge capacity in wildfire-prone areas, and public transport.

What is the weekly briefing on Cities for a Resilient Recovery?

Each week the University of Manchester brings together relevant international practices and examples on recovery from COVID-19. The weekly briefing is curated by the Global Resilient Cities Network to bring key lessons and examples targeted for resilience officers, emergency planners and other city practitioners. The structure of the briefing follows the City Resilience Framework – specifically the four drivers that cities have been identified as mattering the most when a city faces chronic stresses or sudden shocks - Health and Wellbeing, Economy & Society; Infrastructure & Environment; and Leadership & Strategy.

Highlights of the week

In this weeks briefing we highlight the need for inclusive and accessible communication of COVID related data and information; the role of formal relief funds in enabling business and community to continue supporting the most vulnerable; the need for surge capacity in wildfire prone areas, where smoke inhalation has the potential to compound the impacts of wildfires smoke on respiratory viruses such as flu and COVID-19; and the role of public transport in building resilient cities, by combating climate change, encouraging heathy living, and boosting local economies.

Cities like Cape Town, South Africa, have shown how detailed information can be shared publicly, and displayed and disseminated in an engaging and simple way, reducing the stress for communities in having to interpret complex and/or large quantities of data being generated through the COVID-19 response and recovery.

Relief funds are being established in the UK and around the world to enable the public and business to contribute financially to recovery by supporting the most vulnerable. These funds provide an organised and trusted mechanism to give confidence that donations will be governed appropriately, and enable those not able to contribute directly, to support through other means.

As wildfire season takes hold in the US and elsewhere, surge capacity will be needed in healthcare settings to manage compounding impacts of wildfire smoke on respiratory viruses such as flu and COVID-19. Research has found that exposure to smoke particles can overwhelm the immune system and exacerbate respiratory problems, while lingering effects can increase the severity of subsequent flu seasons.

And cities in India are enhancing knowledge and practice globally by sharing transferable lessons learnt from tackling COVID-19, including managing the spread of the virus, the use of technology, communication approaches, approaches to governance, and the participation of the community. 

Explore further

Share this

Please note: Content is displayed as last posted by a PreventionWeb community member or editor. The views expressed therein are not necessarily those of UNDRR, PreventionWeb, or its sponsors. See our terms of use

Is this page useful?

Yes No Report an issue on this page

Thank you. If you have 2 minutes, we would benefit from additional feedback (link opens in a new window).