About the event
On the path toward the Reframing Urban Resilience Conference 2028, the Urban Resilience Research Network is organising a Symposium to gather in Barcelona the Board members of the network and other 25 scholars to discuss where the research on urban resilience fell short and why. These reflections on the shortcomings and “dead ends” of resilience research are much needed, providing an opportunity to critically assess the state of the art and share with peers our concerns, bottlenecks and potential ways forward for resilience, looking at the pathway toward 2050.
Nowadays, the complexity of urban resilience definitions, approaches, and frameworks seemsseemss already widely explored. Risks and conceptual trade-offs were traced and discussed in the last 10 years, and a research agenda for the 21st century was published in 2018, addressing the urban resilience implementation gaps. Recently, scholars have built the storyline of urban resilience before and after the Covid-19, hoping for major urban renaissances, looked at emerging synergies between climate change adaptation and health, adaptation and regenerative development, leading to a reframing challenge to discuss how to shape the next urban resilience agendas after 2030. The literature on climate change adaptation has also evolved consistently and has recently been mapped, as has the literature on assessing climate plans to track resilience implementation.
In light of this experience in urban resilience research, the symposium constitutes a first common reflection around urban resilience limits and ways forward, offering inspiration and guidance on which are the key points to discuss at the Reframing Urban Resilience 2028 Conference.
Process and Participation
The event and discussions will happen in person, in Barcelona, the 9 of November 2026. The symposium will be organised around interaction, debates and co-definition of the research gaps and challenges.
Posts and reflections will be shared online in the weeks and months after the event, as blog posts from other scholars will contribute to this track.
If you plan to attend this symposium in person, apply here from 20 Sept to 23 Oct. Explain your experience in urban resilience research, highlighting which are the limits and the ways forward for urban resilience. The event is closed- door, limited to 25 selected candidates of different levels of experience and topics, and we will select and confirm attendance, accepting idoneous profiles from the opening of the call and until reaching the 25 expected participants.
Draft Schedule
| 14:30 – 14:45 | Welcome & Introduction | Setting the stage, symposium objectives, and network overview. |
| 14:45 – 16:00 | Session I: Presentations & Roundtable | Critical reflections on resilience contributions, experience, and shortcomings. |
| 16:00 – 16:30 | Networking Coffee Break | 30 minute informal networking interlude. |
| 16:30 – 17:45 | Session II: Presentations & Roundtable | Unanswered research questions, challenges, and forward-looking propositions. |
| 17:45 – 19:00 | Closing Remarks and Networking Aperitif | Invited drinks, informal debate, and participant networking. |
Confirmed speakers from the board
Stephan Barthel
Professor of Sustainability Science, Department of Building Engineering, Energy and Environment, University of Gävle / Stockholm Resilience Centre, Sweden
Maria Moleiro
Research Associate, Chair of Digital City Science, HafenCity University Hamburg (HCU), Hamburg, Germany
Nazli Aydin
Associate Professor, Department of Multi-Actor Systems, Faculty of Technology, Policy and Management, Delft University of Technology (TU Delft), Delft, Netherlands
Giulia Datola
Assistant Professor, Department of Architecture and Urban Studies (DAStU), Politecnico di Milano, Milan, Italy
Yang Liang
Associate Professor and Research Group Leader, Department of Geography, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU Munich), Munich, Germany
Evangelos Pitidis
Assistant Professor, Institute for Global Sustainable Development (IGSD), University of Warwick, Coventry, United Kingdom
Mattia Leone
Associate Professor, Department of Architecture (DiARC), University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
Marie-Christine Therrien
Full Professor of Management and Director of the Cité-ID Living Lab on Urban Resilience Governance, École nationale d’administration publique (ENAP), Montreal, Canada