Future-proofing Europe’s Building Stock: Climate, Social & Material


19 October 2021, 11:15 - 12:45

- Malmö / Online


Future-proofing Europe’s Building Stock: Climate, Social & Material

The sustainable transformation of Europe’s built environment will only be possible if the resilience of buildings is enhanced across a broad range of dimensions. This EXCESS informed workshop at the European Urban Resilience Forum (EURESFO) will take a deep dive into increasing climate, social and material resilience of buildings, by facilitating an exchange between local and regional government stakeholders from across Europe and EURESFO participants.


As the increased frequency of extreme weather events across Europe demonstrates, climate change is already impacting the Continent significantly. Considering the substantial effort and time needed as well as the complexity in preparing Europe’s building stock for these changing realities, urgent action must be taken to ensure that homes as well as places of work, production, consumption and leisure are fit for purpose in future. At the same time, it must be ensured that investments channeld into the built environment do not trigger gentrification, otherwise negatively impact vulnerable groups and that community functions are maintained and enhanced. Lastly, as has been most recently evidenced in the context of the pandemic, supply chain issues have substantial ramifications for the built environment. It is therefore imperative that resource depletion, the potential economic impacts of supply disruptions and the strategic importance of circular approaches considered and reflected in policy decisions at all levels of governance.

Since 2013, the European Urban Resilience Forum – driven by ICLEI Europe and the European Environment Agency – has offered a unique platform where city representatives and stakeholders from various local and regional institutions come together to exchange and discuss strategies and actions to adapt to climate change and build urban resilience.

Proving that it is necessary to adapt to new situations and taking resilience to the next level, the 2020 edition of the Forum took  place as an online event, for the first time in the conference series.

The Forum covers different topics and the interrelation between urban resilience and health, keeping its informative, open and interactive format. Participants are encouraged to share experiences and points of view on diverse topics, tackling existing challenges in local urban adaptation, while exploring potential solutions and opportunities for future collaboration.



All events