EU Member States and the European Commission are working to better understand how different crises affect regions and communities. With Europe facing multiple challenges, strengthening resilience, our ability to withstand and recover from shocks, has become a key priority. Our physical environment is especially at risk. Natural disasters, which are becoming more frequent due to climate change, can cause severe damage. Floods destroy villages, wildlife habitats, and crops. Droughts and heatwaves threaten water supplies, biodiversity, and agriculture, while also affecting human health. Regions with large urban areas and major river systems are particularly vulnerable. Even with strong climate adaptation policies, future damage is unavoidable. That’s why disaster recovery efforts need to go beyond rebuilding what was lost. 

Policies should focus on "building back better," making communities more resilient to future shocks. This involves long-term strategies that reduce risks, strengthen infrastructure, and improve preparedness. By combining recovery, transformation, and mitigation efforts, we can better protect our environment, communities, and economies from future crises.

This targeted analysis aims to provide high-quality research to help develop stronger resilience strategies for the physical environment, based on evidence of regional vulnerabilities. Stakeholders seek to improve their policy responses by gaining a better understanding of how crises impact different regions, especially in the face of uncertainties and unexpected events. To strengthen resilience, this study will explore key factors linked to policies in the Disaster Risk Management Cycle (DMC).

Policy questions

The project is addressing the following policy questions:

• How can we measure a region's vulnerability and resilience? What methods and indicators should be used, and how can they help develop practical, place-based resilience strategies for adaptation and mitigation?
• How effective are current crisis response strategies in stakeholder regions? What good practices in disaster management can be identified?
• How can territorial resilience planning be improved? What recommendations can enhance strategies, tools, and governance for better resilience planning?
• How can risk management include different perspectives? How can governments, individuals, businesses, and civil society work together more effectively in resilience planning?

Expected results

The main outputs of the service will be:

• New territorial evidence with maps and visualisations to support policy strategies.
• Analysis of regional vulnerability and resilience, comparing different regions affected by environmental crises to develop tailored resilience approaches.
• Evaluation of existing policies and strategies, assessing their effectiveness in building territorial resilience and identifying best practices.
• Recommendations for improved resilience planning, focusing on adaptation, mitigation, and transformation strategies.
• Data, interactive maps, and graphs, formatted for integration into the ESPON Portal.

Stakeholders

• Department of Environment & Spatial Development, Flemish Government (Belgium) is the lead stakeholder. Other stakeholders:
• European Council of Spatial Planners - ECTP-CEU (Belgium);
• Municipality of Enschede (The Netherlands);
• Ministry of Environment of the Republic of Lithuania (Lithuania);
• Southern Regional Council (Malta);
• General Territorial Planning and Sustainable Development Direction, Provence Alps French Riviera Regional Council (France).

Contractor

SWECO Belgium

Deliveries

Inception Delivery: 25 October 2024 

Progress Report 1: 27 January 2025

Final delivery: 25 August 2025 

Contact

Sandra Di Biaggio (Research and Policy Manager)  

Caroline Clause (Budget and Financial Manager)