The City Resilience Profiling Programme (CRPP) focuses on providing national and local governments with tools for measuring and increasing resilience to multi-hazard impacts, including those associated with climate change. Working through partnerships with stakeholders including international agencies such as UNISDR, academic and research institutes, private sector actors, and NGOs, the CRPP will develop a comprehensive and integrated urban planning and management approach for profiling and monitoring the resilience of any city to all plausible hazards.
The tools and guidelines developed under the Programme will be tested and refined in: Balangoda (Sri Lanka), Barcelona (Spain), Beirut (Lebanon), Dagupan (Philippines), Dar es Salaam (Tanzania), Lokoja (Nigeria), Portmore (Jamaica), Concepcion/Talcahuano (Chile), Tehran (Iran), and Wellington (New Zealand). These cities were selected based on the proposals submitted to UN-Habitat in response its call for proposals in November 2012, and represent a balance of geographical and economic distribution, population size, hazard profiles, and commitment to the resilience agenda.
Partner City Profiles
Balangoda (Sri Lanka)
Located in southern Sri Lanka, the city has a population of 23,220, and is mainly prone to landslides and floods due to recurrent cyclones. The city recently established a unit within its city council for disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation.
Barcelona (Spain)
Barcelona is one of the major cities in Europe with a strong commitment to building urban resilience, with its Urban Resilience Board for Infrastructure and Services Supply created to counter the impact of various types of crises and to strengthen infrastructures and services supply capacities.
Beirut (Lebanon)
Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. The estimates of Beirut's population range from as low as 938,940 to less than two million. It is a coastal city and prone to earthquakes and associated tsunamis. The city is highly committed to building its disaster risk management systems with the collaboration of the national government. Currently, Beirut is preparing its disaster response plan and assessing the impact of its major potential disaster to further enhance its resilience.
Dagupan (Philippines)
Dagupan has over 163,000 residents, and a multi-hazard profile of earthquakes, floods, cyclones, and tsunamis, among others. The city has established a full-time unit in charge of disaster preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation.
Dar es Salaam (Tanzania)
Dar es Salaam is one of the largest cities in Africa, with roughly 5 million inhabitants, and is prone to recurrent floods. The city is now developing a Disaster Risk Resilient Strategic Plan to address all potential hazards.
Lokoja (Nigeria)
Lokoja is a rapidly urbanizing city with a population of over 500,000. It experienced a huge flood in 2012, and several residential areas are in vulnerable, low-lying neighborhoods in the city.
Portmore (Jamaica)
Portmore has approximately 250,000 inhabitants, and is prone to hurricanes, sea surge, floods, and earthquakes. The city developed a Disaster Preparedness Programme in 2004 to cope with the recurrent hurricanes in the region.
Concepción and Talcahuano (Chile)
Concepción and Talcahuano are part of the greater metropolitan area of the Bio Bio Region, located in the south central coast of Chile. They were both struck in 2010 by an 8.8 catastrophic earthquake and subsequent tsunami. The "Talcahuano 2020" plan encompasses its views and strategies on reconstruction.
Tehran (Iran)
Tehran has experienced four major earthquakes of over magnitude 5 since the 1960s, and has established the Tehran Disaster Mitigation and Management Organization, winning the Sasakawa International Award for Disaster Reduction.
Wellington (New Zealand)
Surrounded by sea and intersected by two major tectonic plates, Wellington is exposed to a wide range of hazards – including earthquakes, floods, landslides, and storm surges. The city has been conducting extensive research and education programmes on disaster mitigation, and has committed a significant expenditure for mitigating disaster impacts.
