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ISD Climate Initiative: Urban Resilience

Building Climate Resilience of at risk communities in Cities

Through the Climate Initiative, ISD (International Services Department) helps National Societies, local actors, and at-risk communities in cities plan for and mitigate the impacts of climate change on the most vulnerable.

Rationale

By 2050, two thirds of the world’s population will be living in cities and towns, with over 95% of this growth occurring in the less developed parts of East Asia, South Asia, and Africa. Currently, in the Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) region, over 80% of the population lives in cities and towns. Rapid and unplanned urban development is happening concurrently with other global crises. Many of the world’s cities lack adequate infrastructure and resilient systems to withstand the impacts of multiple hazards and disaster risks, particularly the impacts from extreme heat (e.g., heatwaves) and coastal threats (e.g., coastal storms).

As a result, the vulnerabilities of underserved urban communities are becoming more complex and intersecting with environmental, societal, and economic change. For this reason, American Red Cross Climate Initiative aims to support and engage urban communities, assisting and empowering the most vulnerable to advocate for and create climate resilient cities.

%
Of the world population projected to live in urban areas by 2050

Theory of Change (TOC)

The individual Urban Resilience TOC was developed to help achieve the Climate Initiative’s Outcome 1: Cities are better able to withstand rising climate risks especially extreme heat and coastal threats. It reflects the reality of rapid global urbanization, the rising impacts of those within urban settings, and several courses of action to alleviate suffering from climate disasters.

Explore the Urban TOC

Urban work

CWRA 2

Coastal City Resilience and Extreme Heat Action Project (CoCHAP)

The Coastal City Resilience and Extreme Heat Action Project (CoCHAP), a multi-year initiative funded by USAID BHA, strengthens resilience in nine cities across Africa, Asia, and the Americas by reducing vulnerabilities to coastal threats and extreme heat through collaboration with local governments, communities, and meteorological services.
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Urban Resilience Grants

In 2024, ISD launched a small research grant program aimed at deepening our understanding of urban climate resilience and supporting original research in low- and middle-income countries. The program was designed to expand the evidence base and contribute to building more resilient urban environments in the face of climate change.
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May 10, 2023. Kabwe, Zambia. Red Cross team members refer to maps and data from Kabwe, Zambia, as they plan door-to-door visits to identify un- and under-vaccinated children. Via a program sponsored by the American Red Cross and the Zambia Red Cross, teams visit parents in both rural villages and urban settlements to find pockets of children missing routine immunizations—such as the measles vaccine. Some teams have to walk 40 minutes just to reach one house, while others ride bicycles and motorbikes down dusty, bumpy roads to locate kids in need. The program--called the 5-Point Plan--is done in conjunction with the Zambia Ministry of Health in order to gather the most up-to-date statistics to understand where and why some kids aren't getting vaccinated. The American Red Cross plays a pivotal role in supporting vaccination campaigns and strengthening routine immunization systems worldwide via the Measles & Rubella Partnership (M&RP). Activities include capacity building for local Red Cross and Red Crescent teams; mobilizing volunteers to spread word about the importance of immunizations via mass media, rallies, door-to-door visits and entertainment; and ensuring caregivers and kids get to health centers to obtain vaccines. The Measles & Rubella Partnership (previously named the Measles & Rubella Initiative) was founded in 2001 by the American Red Cross, the UN Foundation, the U.S. Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention (CDC); UNICEF; and the World Health Organization; and has now been joined by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance. Measles is one of the most contagious and severe childhood diseases. Every day, hundreds of children’s lives are lost around the globe from this preventable disease. Photo by Brad Zerivitz/American Red Cross
Heatwave@3x

Extreme Heat Grants

In 2022, ISD launched a small research grants program aimed at expanding awareness and original study of extreme heat in low- and middle-income (LIM) countries. Ultimately, 15 researchers from 13 LIM countries were awarded grants to complete unique research in one or more of the three topic areas: (1) Identification of local heat thresholds and triggers, (2) Analysis of public perceptions towards heat, and (3) Identification of strategies to influence policy and action towards extreme heat. Click the "Learn More" button below to read the final reports from the research grantees 
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Urban Resources

  • Urban Resilience Toolkit

    The urban community resilience toolkit includes three connected and complementary tools to help urban communities identify risk, their resilience priorities and design sustainable and scalable solutions together with a diverse set of partners:

    You can find case studies, videos, and other learning documents about the process of coalition-building for urban resilience under the CoCHAP Project (discussed above) and also here.

  • HEAT Toolkit

    This toolkit is a compendium of resources developed by the Red Cross Red Crescent Network to help communities identify, prepare for and respond to extreme heat events. It includes research, heat campaign materials, policy briefs, case studies and key tools developed by a wide range of stakeholders including the Global Heat Health Information Network (GHHIN) and the Red Cross Red Crescent.

  • Urban Collaboration Platform

    The International Federation of Red Cross Red Crescent (IFRC) Secretariat and the American Red Cross have been leading an Urban Collaboration Platform (UCP) since early 2016, with strong support from increasing number of National Societies, the Global Disaster Preparedness Center and the Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre. The UCP aims to help Red Cross Red Crescent National Societies become better informed, better connected and better engaged in understanding and working in urban contexts. Helping urban communities become more resilient will make a significant contribution to the IFRC initiative One Billion Coalition (1BC).

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