Welcome to the GIZ Urban Climate Resilience Toolbox

Select different filters and navigate through a wide collection of more than 90 Urban Climate Resilience approaches across 30 different countries.
Choose your mode of visualization and start exploring!

Visual mode

Start visual mode

When best to use:

  • If you want to interactively explore the approaches
  • If you want to have basic filters

Classic mode

Start classic mode

When best to use:

  • If you are on a smartphone
  • If you want to have a comprehensive overview

We developed this toolbox in order to make GIZ’s experience in Urban Climate Resilience available through a range of possible approaches to support and improve future projects implementation, knowledge exchange and enhance the visibility of good practices.

We invite you to explore the GIZ Urban Climate Resilience Toolbox either via our visual mode or classic mode. In visual mode, you will use an interactive graphic to find and navigate the different approaches. In classic mode, you will be provided with a classic database interface.

How does it work?

Intuitive filters allow you to select from various categories and combine different criteria enabling a precise identification of resilience approaches. Once an approach is identified, click on the approach card, and download the PDF with a factsheet containing further details. You can navigate through the approaches by exploring a combination of options across seven filters:
Which hazards?

Resilience approaches are tailored to specific hazards, each of which possesses unique characteristics necessitating hazard-specific strategies.
Which urban system(s) are threatened?

Urban systems or functions exposed to, or potentially threatened by, hazards require tailored responses. While vulnerabilities may vary, commonalities guide the design of resilience approaches.
Which risk management strategies are applied?

Resilience approaches can be grouped into three overarching risk management categories: (1) Preventive strategies aim to reduce or mitigate existing risks, (2) Resilience-building approaches enhance the capacity of urban functions to withstand major damage, and (3) Transformative strategies focus on preventing the creation of new risks through improved planning and implementation.
It is implemented in which area of intervention?

Urban resilience approaches can be categorized within three spheres of intervention: (1) Socio-political and governance approaches strengthen civil society, governmental institutions, and politics; (2) Economic strategies enhance economic sectors and involve private sector actors, and (3) Environmental approaches bolster environmental resilience.
At which level?

Resilience approaches can be classified based on the level of intervention, whether it’s at the international, sub-national/state, city, or neighborhood level.
Where?

Resilience approaches are further categorized by the country of intervention.

How?

Most resilience approaches comprise more than one component, method, instrument or strategy. For example, combining capacity development with the implementation of technical solutions.

HAZARD

Which hazards?

Resilience approaches are tailored to specific hazards, each of which possesses unique characteristics necessitating hazard-specific strategies.

URBAN FUNCTION

Which urban system(s) are threatened?

Urban systems or functions exposed to, or potentially threatened by, hazards require tailored responses. While vulnerabilities may vary, commonalities guide the design of resilience approaches.

TYPE OF RISK MANAGEMENT

Which risk management strategies are applied?

Resilience approaches can be grouped into three overarching risk management categories: (1) Preventive strategies aim to reduce or mitigate existing risks, (2) Resilience-building approaches enhance the capacity of urban functions to withstand major damage, and (3) Transformative strategies focus on preventing the creation of new risks through improved planning and implementation.

SPHERE OF INTERVENTION

It is implemented in which area of intervention?

Urban resilience approaches can be categorized within three spheres of intervention: (1) Socio-political and governance approaches strengthen civil society, governmental institutions, and politics; (2) Economic strategies enhance economic sectors and involve private sector actors, and (3) Environmental approaches bolster environmental resilience.

LEVEL OF INTERVENTION

At which level?

Resilience approaches can be classified based on the level of intervention, whether it's at the international, sub-national/state, city, or neighborhood level.

COUNTRY OF IMPLEMENTATION

Where?

Resilience approaches are further categorized by the country of intervention.

TYPE OF APPROACH

How?

Most resilience approaches comprise more than one component, method, instrument or strategy. For example, combining capacity development with the implementation of technical solutions.
The approaches were classified in the following 8 categories based on their main focus that aim to address a particular issue.
Capacity Development

Approaches that center on education, training, and providing guidance to intermediaries and beneficiaries in the identification, planning, financing, implementation, and evaluation of resilience strategies.

Framework conditions

Approaches that support legal frameworks, financing methods, or feasibility studies essential for implementing resilience strategies

Access to finance

Approaches designed to establish special funds, financing options, or risk transfer mechanisms (particularly insurance) to advance resilience strategies

Information & data management

Approaches aiming to provide climate data, projections, information about urban function basics, tolerance thresholds, and potential damage. Urban planners and municipal authorities are the primary users of this information.

Planning approaches & decision support tools

Approaches that cover diverse process design for identifying and implementing resilience strategies, encompassing methodological guidelines, technical decision-making tools, and analytical methods.

Implementation of technical solutions

Approaches that primarily involve technical strategies for implementing resilience measures, with a focus on process description and the generation of empirical evidence for future application.

Plan & Strategy Development

Approaches aimed at developing plans and strategies for implementing resilience measures or integrating them into existing planning frameworks.

Cooperation & Knowledge Sharing

Approaches that are designed to create platforms or spaces that promote cross-sectoral or cross-regional collaboration among different stakeholders to design, align and implement resilience strategies.

Overview

Sharing urban climate resilience experiences is crucial as cities worldwide deal with the challenges of climate change and rapid urbanization. This practice speeds up learning, supports cost-efficiency, encourages adaptability, magnifies the impact of successful strategies, and enhances collaboration among cities, all of which are essential for effectively addressing shared challenges and strengthening governance frameworks.

GIZ has been implementing projects with a focus on Urban Resilience and working with strategic partners for about 10 years, although certain approaches which strengthened resilience had been applied before (e.g., flood risk management in urban areas). This wealth of experience on Urban Resilience jointly collected by the GIZ Urban Climate Resilience Task Force is now available through a range of possible approaches to support and improve future projects implementation, knowledge exchange and enhance the visibility of good practices. 

The GIZ Urban Climate Resilience Toolbox is a repository of more than 90 different tried, tested and ongoing approaches in more than 30 countries. The toolbox provides information on where and how these approaches are being or have been implemented. The resilience approaches are clustered into different categories that define their design to facilitate the access to information for policymakers, practitioners, and those with a general interest in urban climate resilience actions or in implementing them in the local, national, and international level in the context of international cooperation.

Do you want to know more about Urban Climate Resilience? Click here for more information.