EURESFO26. Moving beyond adaptation: integrated approaches to resilience
Inspired by Guimarães’ long-standing commitment to embedding sustainability into its cultural fabric, this edition of EURESFO will focus on integrated approaches to resilience that move beyond adaptation. Special attention will be given to the leadership and innovation of small and medium-sized cities, exploring how their close connection to citizens can enable bottom-up strategies and offer valuable lessons for climate resilience efforts worldwide, such as Guimarães’ efforts bringing together citizens, academia and the private sector under the city’s “One Planet City” vision.
Participants will also get the chance to unpack the evolving legislative landscape, including the forthcoming EU Climate Resilience and Risk Management Integrated Framework and the Nature Restoration Regulation, with nature-based solutions remaining a central point of discussion alongside emerging models for financing adaptation and resilience. Building on the discussion of the previous edition, EURESFO will focus on people-centred approaches to resilience planning that prioritise health, wellbeing and justice, enable multi-level governance, while addressing pressing hazards such as wildfires, extreme heat, droughts and flooding.
EURESFO26
Thematic streams
The 13th edition of euresfo will be focused on these four thematic streams
- People at the centre: Just resilience, housing, democracy
- Strengthening the governance of resilience: unpacking regulation for local action and leveraging policy insights from the ground
- Managing climate extremes in a place-sensitive way: holistic and landscape approaches for rural and local resilience
- The tools we need: innovative financing mechanisms, AI and digital tools to enable resilience to compound risks
People at the centre
Just resilience, housing, democracy
People and communities are at the heart of climate resilience and multi-level governance approaches. This thematic stream explores how resilience can be designed, governed and communicated in ways that are inclusive, just and socially transformative. Sessions within this stream will place a strong focus on participatory and bottom-up approaches to meaningfully engage residents and vulnerable groups in resilience decision-making, without shying away from difficult conversations around the intersections between climate resilience, affordable housing, health, media, (dis)information and post-crisis recovery.
Guiding questions:
- How can cities and regions design and govern climate resilience strategies that meaningfully position residents, especially vulnerable and underrepresented groups, in the centre of decision-making processes?
- What does socially just and transformative climate resilience look like in practice, particularly at the intersections of affordable housing, public health, post-crisis recovery, and local economic stability?
- How can local and regional governments communicate climate resilience effectively in an era of misinformation and polarization, while fostering trust, participation, and collective ownership of solutions?
Strengthening the governance of resilience
Unpacking regulation for local action and leveraging
policy insights from the ground
Strategic frameworks for local and regional climate resilience are rapidly evolving, as are the practices that are implemented on the ground. This thematic stream explores how climate resilience is shaped, governed, and delivered across levels. Sessions in this stream will both unpack the practical realities of navigating policies and regulations and reflect on emerging directions in EU climate policy. At the same time, a strong emphasis will be placed on planning, multifunctional nature-based solutions and governance strategies to break administrative siloes. The goal is to shed light on how cities can move beyond fragmented, sectoral responses toward integrated approaches that embed climate resilience as a core principle of local development.
Guiding questions
- How can local and regional authorities navigate complex multi-level governance and regulatory environments to translate evolving EU climate resilience policy into effective, locally grounded strategies?
- What governance innovations and planning practices, including multifunctional nature-based solutions, can help break administrative siloes and enable integrated climate resilience approaches across sectors and territories?
- In the context of emerging EU frameworks and support mechanisms, how can cities and regions strengthen their institutional capacity and partnerships to co-design, finance and deliver resilient development pathways?
Managing climate extremes in a place-sensitive way
Holistic and landscape approaches for rural and local resilience
Climate extremes are experienced differently across territories, requiring responses that are grounded in local landscapes, ecosystems and cultural contexts. This thematic stream explores how rural and local communities can strengthen resilience to droughts, floods, wildfires and water scarcity through integrated, place-sensitive strategies. Sessions will examine approaches to enhancing water security in small and insular communities; advancing integrated wildfire protection; embedding NBS to support water resilience and healthy soils; and how holistic resilience frameworks can connect land, water, livelihoods and heritage to build adaptive capacity while safeguarding cultural resilient landscapes for future generations.
Guiding questions
- How can rural and local communities design place-based resilience strategies that reflect their unique landscapes, ecosystems and cultural heritage while addressing droughts, floods, wildfires and water scarcity?
- What integrated approaches can strengthen water security and wildfire protection in small, rural and insular territories, while restoring soils, ecosystems and livelihoods?
- How can holistic resilience frameworks better connect land, water, biodiversity, local economies and cultural heritage to build long-term adaptive capacity and safeguard resilient landscapes for future generations?
The tools we need
Innovative financing mechanisms, AI and digital tools
to enable resilience to compound risks
Building resilience to compound and cascading climate risks requires new tools, new partnerships and new forms of investment. This thematic stream explores how innovative financing mechanisms, AI and advanced digital solutions can strengthen climate risk management, accelerate adaptation and unlock transformative action. By connecting technological innovation with governance, regulation and capital flows, session within this stream highlight how cities and communities can better protect citizens, manage uncertainty and mobilise national and EU resources to respond effectively to complex and interlinked climate threats.
Guiding questions
- How can cities and regions mobilise innovative financing mechanisms and investment models to address compound and cascading climate risks at scale, while ensuring these mechanisms fit to local contexts, governance capacity, and community needs?
- In what ways can AI and advanced digital solutions enhance climate risk assessment, early warning systems, and adaptive decision-making, while remaining accountable, inclusive and aligned with public governance frameworks at national and regional level?
- What new partnerships between governments, financial institutions, technology providers and communities are needed to unlock transformative climate action and manage increasingly complex, interlinked climate threats?