Integrating Spatial Planning and Civil Protection for Urban Resilience: A Framework for Crisis-Responsive Built Environments in Poland

Contemporary cities face increasingly interconnected environmental, social, health, and geopolitical crises, requiring closer integration between long-term urban development and emergency preparedness. This study examines how spatial planning can support civil protection and strengthen urban and community resilience, using Poland as a case of a planning system undergoing substantial legislative change. The research combines a review of international resilience frameworks with comparative and critical analyses of Polish spatial planning, crisis management, and civil protection regulations, complemented by a research-by-design case study. The findings reveal persistent institutional and spatial fragmentation: crisis preparedness remains weakly embedded in planning instruments, while crisis management and civil protection regulations insufficiently address the spatial conditions necessary for effective implementation. Key gaps concern risk-sensitive land use, protective infrastructure, evacuation systems, multifunctional public spaces, and cross-sectoral coordination. The research-by-design component demonstrates how these requirements can be translated into adaptive and multifunctional urban environments. Based on the findings, an integrated planning framework is proposed that links risk assessment, protective infrastructure, adaptive spatial design, and coordinated governance. Embedding civil protection within spatial planning can reduce vulnerability, support continuity of essential urban functions, and strengthen community resilience while contributing to safer and more sustainable urban development.