In a new report ‘The search for resilience in a world of polycrises’, Sweco is addressing resilience, global risks and the required actions to plan and design resilient communities.

To become resilient special measures to ready our environments and communities need to be taken – strategies for going from reactive to proactive.

Why is resilience important?

• By 2030, without significant investment in making cities more resilient, natural disasters may cost cities worldwide 314 billion dollars each year.
• Every year, an estimated 26 million people are pushed into poverty by natural disasters.
• Biodiversity loss and ecosystem collapse are viewed as the fastest deteriorating global risks over the next decade.
• The energy supply crisis, the cost-of-living crisis, rising inflation, the food supply crisis and cyberattacks on critical infrastructure are among the top risks for 2023 with the greatest potential impact on global scale, according to World Economic Forum Global Risks Perception Survey 2022-2023.
• A hazard rarely strikes alone. Resilience refers to the ability of systems to be robust and adaptable to changing conditions. It´s about short-term adaptation and long-term transition.

This year, Sweco’s international knowledge initiative Urban Insight, takes a deep dive into the concept of resilient societies. During the year, experts will share reports, trend analysis and articles provide you with the latest solutions and practices in resilient development. Global and local initiatives will be organised during the year to inspire, and to open up for discussions about needed actions.

To succeed with resilience, we need to understand what we want to protect and keep safe. In this report experts share insights on steps towards resilience.