Reconsidering Urban Resilience Assessments Towards Recovery During Conflict

In the face of global crises, resilience is a crucial approach to recovery. Urban resilience frameworks have proliferated in the last three decades, supporting policy-focused guidelines for sustainable development. However, gaps in adopting such frameworks at the local level still exist. This study questions whether existing frameworks, despite addressing global challenges such as climate adaptation or rapid urban growth, are suitable for contexts experiencing conflict. Guided by two key themes—how to dissect an urban system into subcomponents relatable to resilience approaches, and what resilience qualities are needed for implementation—this paper formulates a novel urban resilience framework, integrated into an adaptable digital tool. A pilot conducted in two Ukrainian cities demonstrates its application. The study highlights lessons learned and the relevance of embedding resilience assessments in digital platforms to enhance decentralised planning, digital maturity, and preparedness for future large-scale crises.