Whole-of-Society Approach to Urban Resilience Lunch Briefing

On Wednesday 30th April, the Centre for Whole of Society Resilience, in partnership with Resilience First, hosted a lunch briefing and panel discussion on the theme of a Whole-of-Society Approach to Urban Resilience. The event brought together a panel of speakers, including Caroline Field (Head of Resilience at PA Consulting and Co-founder of the CWSR), Bronwyn Bullen (Head of Organisational Resilience at UK Power Networks), Simon Godfrey (Senior Director at BT), Kristen Guida (Head of Strategy, Prevention & Community Resilience at London Resilience, Greater London Authority) and Nadine Sulkowski (Senior Lecturer in Systemic Resilience Planning at the University of Gloucestershire).

As the global urban population continues to rise – with an estimated 68% of people expected to live in cities by 2050 – the urgency of building urban resilience has never been greater. Cities in the UK and around the world face escalating threats from climate change, technological disruptions, and security risks, all while depending heavily on complex and interconnected infrastructure systems. In this volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA) environment, resilience has become a cornerstone of sustainable growth, economic stability, and societal wellbeing.

Caroline opened the session by introducing the newly published ISO 22371 standard on urban resilience. She highlighted how this strategic framework can be used to identify, assess, and mitigate emerging risks while creating long-term value for businesses, governments, and communities. She explained the standard’s eight core principles – Accountable, Adaptive, Aware, Inclusive, Integrated, Prepared, Sustainable, and Transformative – which form the foundation of a structured, phased approach. This framework guides stakeholders from establishing governance and assessing risk, through to implementing resilience strategies and fostering continuous improvement via data-driven learning and innovation.

The panel discussion that followed featured real-world examples from Bronwyn, Simon, Kristen, and Nadine, who shared insights into strengthening infrastructure, services, and community preparedness. They emphasized the indispensable role of collaboration across sectors in shaping a more resilient urban future – one that can adapt to challenges while safeguarding the needs of society as a whole.

If you are interested in learning more, you can read about the ISO 22371: Principles, framework and guidelines on Urban Resilience, or alternatively listen to a webinar on Community Resilience and the ISO 22371.