Urban resilience and sustainability: the role of a local resilience forum in England

Whilst being a large contributor of greenhouse gas emissions, the urban environment is prone to impacts of hazards, threats and major accidents. It is crucial to plan, design, build, manage and operate urban environments in a resilient and sustainable manner. The compatibility and conflict between resilience and sustainability has received increasing attention in recent years in academic literature, however its application at local and national levels has not yet been widely attempted. The Local Resilience Forum (LRF) is an important mechanism for facilitating the complex multi-stakeholder interactions required to deliver urban resilience in England, however sustainability does not appear to be a priority. This study explores how emergency planning and the design of the built environment can further both agendas. A range of promising practices have been found that potentially could not only increase the resilience of, but that are also integral to the sustainability of, the built environment.