New British Standard to boost cities’ resilience to expansion

The British Standards Institution (BSI) has launched a new British Standard, developed with the support of the World Bank, UNISDR, UN Habitat, OECD and representatives from UK cities, designed to help reinforce cities’ resilience to rapid urban expansion.

With an estimated three million people moving to cities each week worldwide, the need to build resilience within urban spaces has never been more important.

The BSI has developed the standard to help preserve the health and wellbeing of cities in the face of rapid urban expansion, climate change or disruptive events such as pandemics.

The new standard, BS 67000 City Resilience, provides practical guidance and tools highlighting how to organise, prioritise, plan and deliver increased city resilience through a process of continual improvement.

All parts of this standard, in some way, have been applied in cities somewhere in the world, and are captured within a framework that provides a path to future city resilience evolution.

Anne Hayes, director of sectors at BSI, said: “The potential cost and risk around not building resilience into our cities is concerning. As the impact following shocks, disasters or even social tension and disruption could devastate a city, its ability to recover will not be through luck and hope but by proper continuity preparation and its agility to respond.

“This standard supports those responsible to advise and guide them through the various scenarios from preparation to aftermath, to tackle future challenges and exploit opportunities.”

Greater Manchester was one of the representative cities involved in the developing of the new standard.

Deputy mayor for policing, crime, criminal justice and fire in Greater Manchester, Beverley Hughes, said: “Resilience has been a constant throughout Greater Manchester’s history.

“Looking to the future, it remains critical as we continue to face risks associated with climate change, including flooding and rising temperatures; the increasing interconnectivity of our world, such as supply chain failures; and other unexpected changes, shocks, and disruptions.”