Livable Pacific cities and towns: Spotlight: Tides of change - Urban resilience across Pacific landscapes

The Livable Pacific Cities and Towns report sets out a strategic framework for resilient urbanization, built around four mutually reinforcing building blocks: strengthening risk-informed urban management systems; investing in resilient infrastructure and housing; enhancing city preparedness for shocks; and prioritizing social inclusion and communities. This Spotlight report builds on the foundation of the Livable Pacific Cities and Towns report by presenting three different urban resilience diagnostic methodologies.

Pacific Island Countries (PICs) are experiencing a rapid urban transition in the context of intensifying climate and disaster risks. Responding to these challenges requires more than incremental action. Regardless of methodology, the first step to addressing the challenges that Pacific cities and towns face is to conduct urban disaster risk assessments - evaluating hazard, exposure, vulnerability, and urban development patterns. These assessments are essential to inform strategic planning and prioritize investments in urban areas, and must be tailored to each city’s unique context, considering available data, technical capacity, and governance structures. This Spotlight presents the following three methodologies to guide decision-makers in selecting the appropriate tools for their needs: Detailed Multi-hazard Risk Assessments (MHRAs); Critical Hazard Assessments (CHAs); and Rapid City Scans (RCSs).