| Course information | |
|---|---|
| Period | Block 1 |
| Timeline | 2 days in October |
| Number of ECTS | 0,5 ECTS |
| Coordinator | Dr Pamela Durán-DÃaz and Carolina Lunetta |
| Methodology | Short lectures, guided discussions, face-to-face workshop, hands-on application of tools, peer discussion, presentations |
Course description
The Urban Resilience Workshop (ReWo) equips students with practical skills to diagnose complex urban conditions and develop resilience strategies. Cities face interconnected challenges such as climate-related hazards, infrastructure pressures, social vulnerabilities, and governance constraints. ReWo supports students in working with these realities in a structured way, combining diagnostic reasoning with strategy development in real-world contexts.
This intensive workshop introduces students to the City Resilience Framework (CRF) and its associated analytical tools, enabling them to systematically analyse urban conditions, identify priority challenges, and develop context-specific resilience strategies. Working in teams with real cities selected by the students themselves, the course emphasises evidence-based reasoning, cross-sectoral thinking, and the ability to translate analysis into actionable interventions.
The workshop combines collaborative practice with critical reflection. Students first engage in team-based exercises to apply resilience tools in real time. They subsequently complete an individual reflective assignment that evaluates the use, strength, and limitations of these tools, fostering deeper methodological understanding.
Learning objectives
After completing the workshop, students will be able to:
- Apply resilience assessment tools collaboratively to analyse urban contexts using the City Resilience Framework.
- Analyse acute shocks, chronic stresses, and city assets using a structured resilience diagnostic.
- Design context-specific resilience strategies that address priority threats using available assets and resources.
- Evaluate the strengths, limitations, and contextual applicability of resilience frameworks and tools.
Course structure
ReWo is structured in two intensive 2-hour sessions that guide students through the sequential stages of resilience assessment and strategy development using the City Resilience Framework (CRF).
1. Resilience Diagnostic (Session 1): The first session focuses on analysing urban contexts through a structured resilience diagnostic. Students work collaboratively to apply the CRF to a selected city, identifying acute shocks and chronic stresses and prioritising them based on likelihood, severity, and temporal dimensions. This stage emphasises systematic analysis and evidence-based reasoning, enabling students to frame complex urban challenges within an integrated resilience perspective. The diagnostic process begins in this session and establishes the analytical foundation for subsequent strategy development.
2. Resilience Strategy (Session 2): The second session continues and completes the diagnostic phase by evaluating the city’s assets, drivers, and available resources using the CRF Resilience Wheel. Although asset evaluation forms part of the diagnostic stage, it is addressed in this session to allow sufficient time for collaborative analysis and reflection. Building on the full diagnostic results, students then design context-specific resilience strategies that address priority threats while considering feasibility and resource constraints. This stage focuses on translating analytical findings into actionable interventions and understanding how resilience frameworks support strategic decision-making in multidisciplinary professional contexts.
Teaching and learning approach
The Urban Resilience Workshop combines short conceptual inputs from lecturers with guided discussions and hands-on application of the City Resilience Framework (CRF). Brief lectures introduce key concepts, explain the diagnostic and strategy tools, and set the pace for each stage of the workshop. Students work collaboratively to analyse acute shocks, chronic stresses, and city assets through a structured resilience diagnostic, followed by the development of context-specific strategies based on available resources. Sessions alternate between explanation, collaborative application, and peer discussion, allowing participants to progressively build their analysis. Each session concludes with short flash presentations in which teams communicate their findings and receive immediate formative feedback. This iterative structure supports experiential learning, enabling students to apply analytical tools in practice while refining their understanding through dialogue, reflection, and continuous instructor guidance.