WATER AND RESILIENT HUMAN SETTLEMENTS
The water cluster aims at understanding urban water challenges and at developing normative and operational responses for a water sensitive and resilient transition of human settlements, particularly in face of climate change.
The water cluster contributes directly to the implementation of the IX Strategic Plan of UNESCO Intergovernmental Hydrological Programme, particularly through the UNESCO International Network on Water and Resilient Human Settlements, which is coordinated by SDU.Resilience.
Recent research projects include: the analysis of urban water in national climate policies; and the integrated analysis of floods and droughts in cities, for developing resilient planning solutions.
RESILIENT COASTAL AND MARITIME PLANNING
The coastal cluster aims at developing integrated research, with an interdisciplinary perspective, across the land-sea continuum. The theoretical and applied research, through understanding the complexity of the land-sea continuum, aims at supporting planning for resilient coastal cities.
The main research topics include Land-Sea Interactions (LSI), Marine Spatial Planning (MSP), coastal climate adaptation planning, low-cost and low-impact coastal solutions.
Recent research projects include the use of drones and satellite imagery for analyzing coastal areas in face of climate change and environmental issues; and the use of nature-based solutions for climate adaptation in urban coastal areas.
CLIMATE NATURE-BASED SOLUTIONS
The cluster aims to investigate and support the development of climate adaptation solutions from theoretical to technical perspectives. Furthermore, the core research is understanding the multiple benefits of NbS, such as carbon storage, enhancement of biodiversity and the capacity to counteract climate extreme events. Nerveless the cluster is enhancing green infrastructures and Nature-based Solutions in the discourse with public administration to contribute to their development in creating resilient cities.
CIRCULAR ECONOMY AND THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT
The cluster aims at supporting the circular transformation of cities, housing and building sector by providing planning frameworks for evaluating social value creation together with environmental impact and economy, through understanding stakeholder perspectives in converting construction. Furthermore, the cluster aim to create the basis for new circular economy advisory services and solutions, focusing on the social components of sustainability.
HUMAN HEALTH AND CLIMATE IN CITIES
The cluster aims to integrating Health in Urban and Territorial Planning, to enable co-design strategies, solutions and guide decision makers from the public health, urban and territorial planning sectors including, national and local administrations towards developing cities planned and built with a focus on human and environmental health.
CAPACITY BUILDING FOR RESILIENCE
This thematic cluster focus on supporting climate resilience action at the local level and international level, understanding operationalization needs, assessing and strengthening capacity building for local stakeholders, and enhancing the impact and sustainability of resilience and climate action.
CLIMATE GOVERNANCE
The cluster aims to investigate and support the multilevel governance processes in the field of urban climate action policies by providing policy recommendations that enhance the role of cities and local governments in national and international policymaking to strengthen urban resilience to climate change.