Co-production for urban resilience: Shaping risk politics

Summary

Rapid urbanisation in low‑ and middle‑income countries is accelerating the accumulation of climate risk, particularly in informal settlements. Traditional, top‑down approaches to urban planning and risk management have proven inadequate to address the complex social, institutional and environmental drivers of vulnerability.

This policy brief argues that knowledge co‑production, informed by a nuanced understanding of urban power dynamics, offers a more effective pathway to building inclusive urban resilience. It introduces the SECURe framework, which helps policymakers and practitioners analyse institutional, cultural and biophysical contexts and design strategic co‑production interventions.

By reshaping how power, knowledge and decision‑making interact in cities, SECURe supports behaviour change, empowerment, collaboration and system reform to influence urbanisation pathways and reduce long‑term risk.