Pathways for building resilience in the face of extreme climate events in cities, housing and infrastructure systems

By 2050, nearly 70% of the world’s population will reside in cities, intensifying pressure on housing and infrastructure amid escalating climate risks. Climate hazards such as floods and heatwaves already account for almost 70% of Average Annual Losses (AAL), with the greatest impacts felt in LMICs and SIDS. Flooding remains a leading cause of housing damage and displacement, affecting nearly 1,600 cities, while extreme heat reduces productivity and increases water, power demand in over 350 cities. These impacts are amplified by prevailing urban and housing norms, limited open spaces, impermeable surfaces, hazard-prone development, and climate-unready infrastructure. In dense urban areas, particularly informal settlements, these pressures cascade across infrastructure systems and economic services. This session aligns with global frameworks emphasizing housing and infrastructure resilience as foundation to sustainable development and risk reduction, including GGA, New Urban Agenda, SDG localization particularly SDGs 11, 9, 13, and ABAS in case of SIDS. With nearly 80 % of buildings and infrastructure yet to be built, this presents a critical opportunity to embed resilience at scale. Resilient housing is central to resilient cities, reducing asset losses, limiting climate related displacement, and safeguarding lives and livelihoods. Evidence shows that every $ invested in resilience can save up to four $ in post-disaster recovery. Again, the climate extremes experienced worldwide in 2025 with record breaking temperatures, shift in rainfall pattern, flood events and climate anomalies underscored the urgent need for rethinking urban approaches. The session will present actionable good practices including nature-based solutions, ongoing initiatives that translate local action into systemic impact, advancing the New Urban Agenda and accelerating progress towards the SDGs. City stories from CDRI projects in South Asia – Sri Lanka, Bhutan, India and Caribbean; action pathways to move from pilots to scale- strengthening governance frameworks, investment sequencing will be further discussed. Session -discussion areas include • People and ecosystems at the center- leveraging Nature-based solutions and re-imagining urban open spaces • Urban governance systems and frameworks- codes, standards tools • Financing resilience