Service
Resilience Strategies and Research
Overview
Urban resilience is not a sectoral issue; it is a structural question of governance, investment and long-term direction.
RSUP supports cities and regions in developing resilience strategies that address both acute shocks and systemic stresses — from climate risks and infrastructure fragility to demographic change and socio-economic inequality. Our work establishes coherent frameworks that integrate environmental limits, economic stability and institutional capacity into long-term development trajectories.
Jochen Rabe held the Professorship for Urban Resilience and Digitalisation at the Einstein Center Digital Future (ECDF), TU Berlin — Berlin’s interdisciplinary excellence research cluster — where he advanced the integration of resilience theory, digital transformation and urban governance. As contributor to the Tbilisi Resilience Strategy under the 100 Resilient Cities programme and to the EU Green Deal–aligned IMPETUS project, he has supported cities in translating resilience from concept to institutional practice. His work connects academic research, infrastructure strategy and public governance, ensuring that resilience frameworks are both analytically rigorous and operationally viable.
Approach
RSUP’s approach to resilience strategy development is built on three foundational principles:
Holistic Resilience Planning: RSUP develops resilience frameworks that address both acute shocks — such as natural disasters or economic crises — and chronic stresses, including infrastructure degradation, demographic shifts and social inequality. These strategies are embedded across sectors of city governance, ensuring resilience is integrated into long-term development policy rather than treated as a standalone initiative.
Stakeholder Engagement and Collaboration: Resilience is institutional as much as technical. RSUP works closely with local governments, public agencies, businesses and civil society to ensure strategies reflect the political, social and economic realities of each city. Broad engagement strengthens legitimacy, improves implementation capacity and aligns resilience objectives with local priorities.
Customised and Scalable Solutions: Each city operates within distinct ecological, economic and governance conditions. RSUP tailors resilience strategies to these specific contexts while maintaining methodological clarity. This ensures solutions are both locally grounded and transferable, enabling adaptation and scaling across different urban environments.
Outcomes
RSUP’s work delivers structured resilience capacity rather than isolated action plans. Our strategies generate tangible outcomes across several dimensions:
Comprehensive Resilience Frameworks: The Tbilisi Resilience Strategy established a coherent roadmap for managing both acute shocks and long-term systemic stresses. The framework translated resilience priorities into clear policy directions, investment logic and governance measures, strengthening the city’s ability to act under uncertainty.
Strengthened Governance and Cross-Sector Coordination: By addressing resilience across departments and sectors, RSUP’s approach reduces institutional fragmentation. Clear coordination mechanisms and shared strategic priorities enable more consistent and effective implementation.
Enhanced Risk Identification and Mitigation Capacity: Through structured diagnostics and stakeholder consultation, cities gain a clearer understanding of exposure, vulnerability and interdependency. This allows for prioritised mitigation measures and more informed allocation of resources.
Integration of Sustainability and Adaptation Pathways: Resilience strategies are aligned with long-term environmental and socio-economic objectives, embedding climate adaptation, infrastructure performance and social stability within broader development trajectories.
The result is strengthened strategic agency: cities better equipped to anticipate disruption, manage complexity and maintain continuity of public value in the face of evolving risks.
