Cities Under Pressure: Innovating in Crises

Many cities around the world are facing severe and dramatic crises. The destruction of cities and villages in the Ukraine is the latest alarming example. Political conflict simply adds to the countless other challenges cities face that require emergency measures – from pandemics to resource scarcity, civil unrest and high unemployment. In the face of those crises, cities run into a stark choice: immediate recovery measures or more forward-looking development.

This session brings together international experts who have practically dealt with post-conflict and socio-economic recovery to explore the consequences of intractable crises like those in Ukraine, South Africa, and Minneapolis, USA and how cities can move forward sustainably. How can cities develop in times of crisis or dysfunctional states? How can recovery efforts embrace all four aspects of a RISE City agenda to ensure the emergence of resilient (R), intelligent (I), sustainable (S) and equitable (E) urban places? And what is the role of ‘responsible leadership’ in such contexts?

This session is hosted by the BMW Foundation Herbert Quandt’s RISE Cities programme.