Natural hazards and resilience in complex urban systems

Research theme

Project type

Core research

Project status

Completed

Urban environments are exposed to multiple, compounding and cascading natural hazard risks that are being complicated by changes arising from climate change. Increasing our understanding of these risks and vulnerabilities is an important enabler for actioning urban resilience.

This project will help us better understand how to prepare urban environments and those who live there to build resilience against compounding natural hazards. The research seeks to understand under what conditions and how optimal investments can be made to advance disaster resilience in major urban areas in Australia.

The following project reports and resources are now available on request. Please email research@naturalhazards.com.au to request these documents:

Understanding cities as complex systems: Implications for urban resilience to hazards, risks and disasters (Work Package 1 Report)
Current and emerging practices conceptualising resilience and vulnerability (Work Package 2 Report)
Current practices and processes used to prioritise and influence urban resilience investments (Work Package 3 Report)
Principles and processes for prioritising and influencing urban resilience investment
Urban resilience investment - Reflection, self-assessment and prioritisation checklist for funders and applicants
Recommendations for processes for prioritising and influencing urban resilience investment

Research team

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Prof Jago Dodson

Research leader

Researcher

Project details

The purpose of this project is to develop a strong evidence base to understand the complex interactions between communities, the built environment and natural hazard risks – to inform resilience.

This project has three main objectives:

To increase understanding within the emergency management sector of:
1. multidimensional, compounding and cascading disaster impacts arising from natural hazard events for communities located in major urban areas in Australia
2. the ways in which these impacts may change over time under the influence of climate change, rapid urbanisation and other factors to influence urban resilience.
To develop guidance for local and state governments, emergency services and community organisations to conceptually map vulnerabilities and resilience within urban systems at local scales; and demonstrate its application with a proof of concept case study.

To develop process principles and standards for use by local and state governments, emergency services and community organisations to effectively prioritise and influence urban resilience investment at local, state and federal levels; and monitor and evaluate the outcomes of investment decisions.

This project will lead to greater understanding within the emergency management sector of multidimensional, cascading, and compounding disaster impacts, vulnerabilities and resilience in major urban areas in Australia – including who is most at risk, how and why, and the ways in which these risk and impacts may change over time under the influence of climate change and other factors including rapid urbanisation and technological change.

It will support local and state governments, emergency services and community organisations to conceptually map vulnerabilities and resilience within complex urban systems at relevant scales.

It will also lead to more effective decision making for risk reduction and urban resilience through, for example, urban planning, building standards, local program design and delivery, as well as increased capability to monitor and evaluate the outcome of those investment decisions.

Publications

Year	Type	Citation
04/2026	Report	Monitoring and evaluating resilience investments: Frameworks, methods and tools
08/2026	Report	Natural hazards and resilience in complex urban systems