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OECD work on Cities

Resilient cities

 

Faced with the increasingly severe impacts of climate change, economic crises, demographic changes and COVID-19, cities are exposed to shocks. However, cities can mitigate risks and respond with policies reinforcing inclusive urban resilience. 


  • What's the issue?

Cities are vulnerable to a range of hazards and shocks. The frequency of climate-related natural disasters has increased globally, while the accelerating industrial transition may have disruptive economic impacts. At the same time, the COVID-19 crisis has exposed the dire consequences of limited preparedness and resilience when facing a global emergency. Environmental degradation, growing inequalities within society and deep economic interconnections have exacerbated the spread and impact of COVID-19, which disproportionately affects vulnerable groups and has widened existing divides such as socio-economic inequity in cities.

Cities play a significant role in responding to such challenges. They are key actors investing in climate-resilient urban infrastructure, supporting businesses and communities most affected by economic crises and working together with other levels of government. The capacity to maintain and enhance resilience to future shocks and stresses, whether from known challenges like climate change or unanticipated pandemics, underpins good urban policymaking and governance in order to drastically reduce risk exposure and build back greener, smarter and more inclusive cities. 

 

  • What can the OECD offer?

OECD work on urban resilience aims to: i) identify policy challenges in differing geographic, socio-economic and environmental contexts related to urban resilience, such as disaster risk management in cities; ii) assess the impacts of current urban resilience policy practices; and iii) propose more efficient and effective policy and governance options in order to enhance urban resilience. A particular focus is placed on climate-related urban resilience, identifying policy synergies and complementary alignments between urban resilience and urban green growth policies.

 

  • Building the Future of Fukushima

Since the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station in March 2011, the OECD has been working with Japan to support the recovery effort. With a special focus on education, the OECD Tohoku School project, aimed to help high-school and junior high-school students in the Tohoku area overcome their losses through a practical, project-based education.

The OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) has also supported Japan through the evaluation of the damaged reactor cores’ condition, the development of long-term radioactive waste management strategies, and discussions around food safety concerns.

In 2019 the OECD and Japan launched a Policy Dialogue on Developing Decommissioning Industry Clusters in Fukushima. 

OECD-Japan Policy Dialogues aimed to provide the venue for open discussion among OECD experts, central/local governments and local stakeholders. This interactive process concentrated on how to better implement the Fukushima Innovation Coast Framework and how to ensure long-term sustainable development of Fukushima, with a focus on developing the decommissioning industry clusters in the Coastal Area while at the same time ensuring the safe and timely decommissioning of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station. 

Results of the dialogue were summarised in a policy brief.

Read the Policy Brief 

View the Flyer

 

History of the Dialogues

  1. Policy Context, 14-15 February 2019
  2. Leadership Engagement, 17 April 2019 (AgendaStatement from a Fukushima student)
  3. Case Studies, 26-27 September 2019
  4. Stakeholder Engagement, 29-31 January 2020

 

 

 

 

  

Fukushima button

 

Publications


Contact

For further information, please contact Tadashi Matsumoto, Head of Unit, Sustainable Development and Global Relations.

 

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