Building Resilience in Cities Under Stress

Abstract

This report aims to highlight diverse sources of urban fragility and approaches to urban transformation, renewal, and resilience. Five city case studies explore the drivers of fragility related to security, development, and governance, before offering examples of policies and programs that can build resilience. The case studies are: (1) Bangkok, where the effects of fragility vary greatly among socioeconomic groups and are exacerbated by spatial segregation; (2) Dhaka, where poor governance and lack of basic infrastructure—such as sanitation and transportation—add to the city’s natural vulnerability to flooding; (3) Mumbai, where a history of organized crime and communal violence continues to surface in one of the largest metropolitan areas in the world; (4) Lagos, where ineffective and fragmented governance undermines the city’s capacity to provide basic public services; and (5) Medellin, where the legacy of four decades of violence continues to dictate security and development policy, even while the city is hailed internationally for its transformation.