Mediterranean cities are increasingly confronted with overlapping pressures that challenge their capacity to remain resilient: climate change impacts, housing stress, disaster risk and tourism dynamics. These pressures are not only intensifying but converging, often within the same territories, revealing systemic vulnerabilities and governance gaps. This session brings together diverse experiences from across the Mediterranean region Tripoli, Gaziantep, Ramallah, Venice and the Metropolitan Area of Barcelona to explore how different urban, environmental and political contexts shape resilience responses, while highlighting common ground across the Mediterranean. Tripoli and Gaziantep will address how cities manage complex risk environments, including seismic exposure and fragile building stock. The focus will be on recovery processes, integration of green spaces, and the intersection between internally displaced populations and access to housing. Ramallah will provide insights into its current context, including the impacts of settlements and ongoing pressures, while highlighting approaches to resilience through climate adaptation and sustainable practices. The case of Venice will illustrate how tourism intensity and geographic constraints affect housing access, liveability and long-term resilience.

This perspective will be complemented by AMB, providing insights from public housing provision and metropolitan-scale responses to affordability challenges. Cross-cutting these experiences, the session will highlight the role of multilevel governance in addressing complex urban pressures. The Generalitat de Catalunya will bring a regional perspective on coordinating municipal needs and aligning policies across scales, connecting local initiatives with broader policy frameworks, including European directives. Rather than proposing a single model, the session aims to identify key differences, shared pressures and actionable entry points to better align housing, climate adaptation and risk management across the Mediterranean.

Date and Place

19 May, Baku (Azerbaijan)

16h – 17:30h

Information and Agenda