Critical learning: a pathway towards transformative action for urban resilience

Cascading impacts of climate change and rapid urbanization demand transformative adaptation for just futures. But operationalizing transformations continues to be a challenge. This paper presents a critical learning framework as a pathway for disaster risk reduction interventions to build adaptive capacity for transformative adaptation, facilitating fundamental changes in decision-making. This requires multiple stakeholders to critically reflect on embedded values from diverse perspectives, exploring new information and testing alternative perspectives to consider alternative choices. This can equip local actors with the knowledge, skills and relationships to help translate nascent values into transformative action. The paper explores this process through a retrospective analysis of the applied research project Tomorrow’s Cities, which worked in 10 cities to support science-informed and locally inclusive decision-making for just, risk-sensitive urban development visioning. The experience shows that critical learning can open transformative opportunities in adaptation interventions by fostering shared realizations among diverse actors.