INTERNATIONAL
CALENDAR

         

This is a session organised by Metropolis and the Guangzhou Award as part of the Marmara Urban Forum (MARUF). This event addressed the critical question of how cities are innovating to bolster their resilience in the face of emergencies that can significantly disrupt daily metropolitan life.

Emergencies come in different forms, from complex issues like housing affordability or inequality to natural disasters like earthquakes or floods. All these emergencies are increasingly converging. In an urbanised and interconnected world, the consequences of these overlapping crises are amplified, prompting leaders of metropolises of all sizes to ponder, "How can innovation contribute to creating more resilient metropolises?".

Metropolitan innovation involves envisioning an urban future and finding novel ways to shape the city in that direction. Innovation must consider both present realities and future challenges, but the fast change of key global factors, from climate to geopolitics, makes anticipation and foresight both harder and more necessary than ever. In a world where cities are becoming increasingly intertwined economically, socially and environmentally, innovation - no longer a luxury, but a must — can travel from city to city, creating a new collective metropolitan intelligence that will be indispensable to face the challenges of humanity.  In the face of ongoing emergencies, strengthening resilience has become a vital function for city authorities navigating a complex and uncertain environment.